


LEARNING TO SLEEP IN THE BED YOU MADE: FADED PICTURES 2: BROKEN GLASS

by NichelleW1



Series: LEARNING TO SLEEP IN THE BED YOU MADE [4]
Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:27:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 59,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24543847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NichelleW1/pseuds/NichelleW1
Summary: Adage: People Who Live in Glass Houses, Should NOT Throw Stones!
Relationships: Brian Kinney/Justin Taylor (Queer as Folk), David Cameron (Queer as Folk)/Michael Novotny, Melanie Marcus/Lindsay Peterson
Series: LEARNING TO SLEEP IN THE BED YOU MADE [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1503668
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. IT'S A CRUEL SUMMER

**Author's Note:**

> I, Nichelle Wellesly, am in no way affiliated with any of the franchises represented here, including QAF and other well known brands. No copyright infringement is intended. The ORIGINAL characters, storyline, plot, places, etc. are the intellectual property of this author and are not to be used/ duplicated without the author's express permission.
> 
> So this is a continuation of Faded Pictures. Although it can be read as a standalone, it is advised that you read the series as a whole thus far. The same rules in terms of character development applies in this work as with the others. There is no anti-character warning because I intend to grow them into people that can be somewhat tolerated if not entirely liked. However, in order to do that, a certain latitude on my part needs to be given.
> 
> This means that as a rule, I really can't stand Michael and am ambivalent about Lindsay at best, and I stay true to that. So with the current life-stage they're in, they are going to be the same mean, spiteful and sneaky people they have always been to me. However, I will work hard at throwing them into situations where they are held accountable for their actions, and therefore have no choice but to grow as people. Ironically, it's how each of us have developed into the human beings we are as well. My goal has always been to write the characters as human as possible and this is me honoring that.
> 
> So that said, I hope that you all enjoy this continuous foray into the minds and motives of Michael and Lindsay. And not to worry... there will be some other prevalent storylines for other characters as well, since there is another installment after this one. But growing Lindsay and Michael into people who actually take other's feelings into consideration before they act is DEFINITELY stretching my writing chops.
> 
> HAPPY READING and HUGS,
> 
> ~Nichelle 
> 
> P.S. I'll add tags along the way, so be on the look out for any additions.

**Short but informative, with a little recap from the last installment. ENJOY!!** 

Chapter 1- IT’S A CRUEL SUMMER

“Say one more fucking word about my HUSBAND, Michael, and I promise you that you’ll be shitting your teeth for the next fifty years!”

There was a collective gasp and entire Diner grew even more impossibly quiet than it was when we first walked in to see Daphne and Lindsay locked in a heated argument. I surreptitiously look around to the faces, both known and unknown, looking back at me, before they land on the one that matters to me the most. Justin just smiles and comes into my raised arm, pressing himself close to me. My heart is beating so fast that it feels as if it’s going to come out of my chest and run its own marathon. But looking down into Justin’s cerulean blue eyes, let’s me know that this is the right thing to do. That he and I… everything about US is right.

And it’s with that realization that all hell breaks loose into chaos around us with everyone talking all at once. But it’s the seven different screeches which catch my ears, even as Justin gives me the brightest smile I’ve ever seen him bestow, while Jennifer just stands there looking so proud of both of us.

“HUSBAND?!” Melanie, Deb, Michael, Lindsay, Daphne, Emmett, and Anthony all gasp.

“That’s right, people. Brian Kinney has been officially blinded by the Supernova named Justin Taylor… KINNEY.

“Congratulations, Brian and Justin. I want to hear all about how this monumental miracle happened, but first we have a job to do…” Duane says, even as he moves past us with an officer in tow. “Officer Talbert, I’d like Lindsay Peterson arrested for Child Abuse, Child Endangerment, Assault, and Neglect. I'm pretty sure there will be more charges, but those are the ones from the Department of Child and Family Services.”

“WHAT?!” Deb and Michael screech at the same time.

“What the fuck did Lindsay do?!” Debbie asks, while Michael makes one of the biggest mistakes of his life by stepping up to Justin.

“What the fuck have to you done to Brian, you little shit?! This is all your fault! I should have stuck to my first plan to have you kidnapped and…”

A hard slap on both sides of his face silenced Michael, but it was the busted nose that had to have hurt the worst. I can’t help but laugh as it seems that three of the women in Justin’s life all took offense at the same time. Deb and Jenn are shaking their hands out from each delivering a slap so hard that Heaven must have trembled upon contact, but it’s the murderous look and bloodied knuckles that catches everyone else’s attention. Justin’s avenging angel steps forward again, only to be pulled back into Emmett before she could strike again.

“And that’s for calling me a bitch. Do you want to know what you deserve for even thinking to have my best friend kidnapped?”

Needless to say Daphne had to be carried OUT of the Diner…

JENNIFER:

Well they sure did let the cat out of the bag a la Taylor-Kinney style. I look down into the stunned faces of Charles, Tatum, and my mother, but strangely, I don’t see anger. Only a small bit of disappointment. I think I can relate to that a little bit. Although Justin is not the only grandchild in the case of either of them, he is the eldest, and as such we were all looking forward to the day that he would walk down the aisle.

Granted, the fantasy has been somewhat changed since he’d come out, but we all still would have loved to have been part of his special day. However, in retrospect, perhaps Brian and Justin getting married secretly and away from all the naysayers will ultimately be the best decision they have ever made. And with the screeching coming from both Deb and Michael, I have to admit that decision is looking more and more apparent.

“What the fuck do you mean, you’re married?! Why wasn’t I consulted?!” Deb is screeching, moving towards both Brian and Justin, that red missile already pointing in their direction. 

I’m so glad that I wasn’t the only one who noticed, as George and Levi get up to flank Brian and Justin, Kiki moves into the position Emmett vacated in order to take care of Daphne. 

“And why should either of us have consulted you, Deb? Brian and I are grown men and able to make decisions for ourselves without yours or anyone else’s unwanted input.”

“But Justin?? What about California? What about your future? What about…” Lindsay trails off. 

Shit! I’d forgotten that they hadn’t gotten the bitch out of here before Daphne had her mini meltdown. If it were up to me, she would have popped Lindsay a good turn too! But I’m so proud of my son, who at first doesn’t answer Lindsay. Instead, he places a proprietary hand over Brian’s flat stomach, gripping the fabric just shy of a tight fist. Brian takes the hint and leans down to brush his lips briefly as if breathing strength and patience into him. 

Folding his lips in, Justin turns to the officer still holding onto her. “Officer Talbert, after I give Lindsay this answer, can you please get her out of here? As it is, considering she was just served with a restraining order, and my stepson is present, Lindsay is already violating it.”

“HE’S NOT YOUR FUCKING STEPSON! YOU’RE NOTHING TO HIM! YOU’RE NOBODY!” Lindsay screams, bucking and twisting against the officer, who is still holding tightly to her.

“Well, since I married his father, and Gus is his son, that would make me his stepfather, Lindsay. Even you know that. But in answer to your question, I will only say that when you and Boo-Boo the Fool here decided to try to bury me into the ditch of obscurity, you should have done your research a little more thoroughly. I know that you’ve been trying to call Dee, but the reason she hasn’t been answering you is because she can’t.”

“What the hell do you mean she can’t?!” Lindsay asks through gritted teeth. “She and I have been friends for years…”

“Being acquaintances does NOT imply friendship, Lindsay. Again, something you should know very well. Anyway, she couldn’t answer any question you may have had in regards to me without violating a clause I had put into my contract with DPAA. It specifically states that under a strict confidentiality clause, my employers, meaning the trifecta at the top of DPAA cannot give out any information concerning my employment and internship to the following people: Lindsay Peterson, Michael Novotny, or Debra Novotny. To do so would be in violation of the contractual terms and I in turn would be able to sue for breach of said contract and invasion of privacy. Now, whereas I know that Brian wouldn’t betray my trust in such a manner to the likes of you three, I have ensured that neither will Dee and DeMarcus, or anyone else who works within the company. So no, she wasn’t going to call your unimportant ass back, Lindsay. In fact, I’m pretty certain that by now, she has all your numbers blocked from any phone associated with her. And for the record, you just played into her hands since she was looking for Brian and me anyway.”

Michael sneered, “And why the fuck would anyone, except a pimp, be looking for a whore like you, huh?”

And once again, Michael is slapped upside the head by Deb. I swear the woman is really a contradiction. On the one hand, Michael is allowed to be hateful and unkind to anyone, including Brian. But then she goes and defends Justin from his meanness, while still being a bitch to him herself. She really needs to get her emotional schizophrenia under control!

“The reason they were looking for me AND Brian is because of the work he and I did with the Liberty Air campaign when he was employed for your buddy Ryder, Michael. Which by the way, you’re going to have to find another dick to suck under the table now that Brian and Cynthia are no longer working there. I wouldn’t advise that you try to find a shoe-in at our new company either, since all are already loyal to the partners, in which Brian is one of them. So you and Lindsay will have to find another way to get your rocks off that doesn’t involve you screwing with our lives. Although, I think Lindsay is going to have her hands full with her own life for a bit.”

“This isn’t over!” Lindsay screams as she struggles against the handcuffs again, and I’m so proud of Justin when he responds.

“Probably not, but for right now, I don’t have to worry about what other knife you’ll use to twist into my back. Whatever other messes you’ve left for me, I’ll be prepared for them.”

As Lindsay is ushered out, both Mel and Brian ask, “Other messes?”

“Ms. Plans always has contingencies waiting in the wings. Although, I think she wasn’t expecting to be caught up in her shenanigans regarding Gus. It will only slow her down for the interim,” he advises them softly, only to be interrupted, once again by screeching and whining.

“What the fuck did you mean by marrying Sunshine, Brian?! You’re going to ruin that boy’s life just the way you did my Michael’s!”

“And yet here you are, still demanding that I fix his life, right Deb?” Brian drawls carelessly.

“You’re damn fucking right I expect you to do the right thing by him!”

“Oh I intend to, beginning today.”

Ted and Vic slip into the Diner then and come to stand beside me. “Where were you guys?”

Vic answers, “I was at the bank with Teddy. I got the business loan, so Rodney, me, and Em are raring to go once we get everything else together. Thankfully, and with Brian and Justin’s help, it was no problem for Ted to start his LLC. After Wertschafter gave him the metaphorical shaft yesterday, Ted went right in and spoke with Brian’s personal banker, Daniel Quinn. He and Teddy are old friends so he helped him fill out everything needed.”

“That’s great, but is he still going to be able to collect his severance pay?”

“Absolutely, thanks to the clause Mel put into his contract. But I’ll explain the rest later. What have we been missing?”

“Brian just announced that they are married, and this is the argument because of it.”

“Since when is Brian responsible for a grown ass man, Deb? Last we all checked, his son is almost one, NOT thirty! If you want to continue to pamper and powder Michael’s ass then be our guest; my husband and I have much better, and more lucrative things to do!” Justin yells. 

I don’t think I’ve ever heard him as pissed off as he is right now. But then again, he’s probably as fed up as I am with Deb attacking Brian simply because he’s no longer going to cater to her and Michael. I mean, the absolute nerve of them to think that Brian is going to ruin Justin’s life! Honestly, I would rather Justin be with Brian rather than some feeble-minded dolt like Michael Novotny. And speaking of which…

“How hard did he let you fuck his throat for you to agree to marry him, huh Brian?!”

Brian’s response almost has me ready to laugh uproariously. “Apparently, David didn’t fuck your throat hard enough since you’re still able to talk shit!” 

“You’re way out of line, Brian! Apologize to Michael right now!” Deb demanded, but Brian was ready for her with an immediate retort.

“You do it!” he said, calmly. But the underlying heat in the command was definitely there. If words could kill, Brian's would have already been drawing out Deb's chalk outline.

“What?!” she squawks.

“I said, YOU. DO. IT! Apologize for birthing him; apologize for teaching him that nothing he does has consequences; apologize for whatever the fuck you want, because I’m NOT going to! I have nothing to be sorry for except that I’ve catered to each of you long enough. Well. that shit stops right now. From now on, you’re both on your own.”

“WHAT?!” They both yell before Deb whines piteously.

“Brian, you can’t mean that!”

“Oh, but I do. And it should have happened long since. You should be happy, Deb. With me out of the picture, you should have Michael’s undivided attention, right? Not only that, but then you can really get to know your son for who and what he is, right? Look at this as a gift. You’ll actually get to spend some much needed quality time together.”

I almost want to laugh at the twin looks of horror on each of their faces, albeit for different reasons. Now, Deb will see all of the things about Michael she’s been willfully blind to. Hell, she’s seen evidence of his churlishness quite a few times today, but without another target, no doubt Michael will take it all out on her. As for Michael, well, he will once again be the center of his mother’s attention without the buffer named Brian to take the heat off of him. Honestly, that’s the way it should have been long since.

“And what are you planning to do about Lindsay?” Deb asks. “She’s the mother of your son; you can’t…”

“I can and I WILL, Deb. Understand this once and for all: just because a baby slid out of her birth canal, that in no way made her mother. She was only the vessel from which my son sprung. You see that woman over there holding Gus’ stroller? THAT is Gus’ TRUE mother. Melanie has done any and everything for Gus, while Lindsay was too busy plotting and planning with your son to be bothered. So as far as I’m concerned, she’s dead to me and so is Michael. If you want your own tombstone within my mind, keep pushing this issue. It’s time for Michael to really understand what it means to grow up!”

Justin rubs soothing circles onto Brian’s abdomen, and I can see the moment the touch begins to act as Valium would to the overwrought man. I don’t know what the future holds in terms of the Novotnys in Brian’s world, but I know that as of this moment, he is DONE. And that ladies and gentlemen is a very dangerous place to be with my son-in-law.


	2. CHAPTER TWO: DID THAT JUST REALLY HAPPEN?

CHAPTER TWO: DID THAT JUST REALLY HAPPEN?

JUSTIN

I would do my happy dance at the fact that Brian has FINALLY realized he really deserves better than to be perpetually abused under the guise of love, but I know he has to be hurting. Despite it all, the Novotnys were there for him at a time when he needed to know he mattered. The problem with that is, their brand of care came with the expensive price tag of Brian’s sanity and self-esteem. If he made everything in Michael’s world easy, then he was the good son. But woe be unto him if Michael had metaphorically written a check that his loud-mouthed ass couldn’t cash, and then it’s all Brian’s fault again. 

Well, as Brian just told them, that shit stops now! Yet, I still have to ask him, “Hey. You okay?”

Brian takes my hand as we walk down the street, away from the Diner to where Em dragged Daph before she committed a homicide, still silent for a time. Unlike when we first met, I don’t take his silence as him deliberately ignoring my question, but as him needing the mental space to put his thoughts in order. I suppose that particular insecurity is something I’d picked up from watching Craig do that to my mother down through the years. But, since being away from seeing it on a daily basis, I guess I was able to put Brian’s silence into a different perspective, especially since eventually he always answered me. Sure, sometimes it would take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks for him to do it, but nevertheless, the answer DID come.

“Is it wrong to feel relieved?” Brian asks in response.

“Not to me. But then again, I’m biased because I’m Team Brian. In the few months I’ve been hanging around, it didn’t take me long to get the lay of the land according to Deb, and your place in it. If Little Lord Fuckaroy was actually royalty, you would have been the equivalent of his butler or permanent whipping boy. And I didn’t like it.”

“I know that, and yet you didn’t nag me about the point.”

I chuckle a bit. “I don’t believe in wasting my words, you know that. So I would give you just enough to think about and let you draw your own conclusions from there. You know the adage about leading a stubborn ass mule to water…”

“That’s HORSE…”

“Not in your case,” I retort just as quickly as Brian did. Although he stands stock still and looks at me for a long moment, eventually he laughs.

“Touche, Sunshine.”

“Thank you for conceding the point. But seriously Brian, despite your history with them- or maybe BECAUSE OF your history period- you deserved to be treated better. I’ve watched you solve problem after problem for Michael AND Lindsay without receiving so much as a thank you afterwards.”

“I didn’t need their gratitude, Sunshine.”

“Of course not, but you didn’t need to be constantly taken advantage of either. And whether you admit it or not, it’s what they’ve done. Then, after every one of their fuckups gets corrected by you, they turn around and use their new, so-called enlightenment to make themselves feel better by putting you down. You take care of everybody else, yet the way you decide to live your life is a problem? At least you’re LIVING, rather than breathing vicariously through someone else, or wishing for things that haven’t been worked for and earned, which is what Michael and Lindsay constantly do. So, as far as I’m concerned, you’re the actual adult among the three of you.”

“Wow! Such a passionate little spitfire…”

“There’s nothing little about me, and you know that better than anyone.”

“Well my dick begs to differ.”

I laugh at his blatant innuendo. “Well okay, I’ll give you that, but it’s the only thing.”

“Or I could just take it.”

“I’ll hold you to that later,” I respond, leaning in to place a quick bite to his chin.

We resume walking a block down from the Diner, talking of inconsequential things and opting to table any conversation about the troublesome trio for the moment. “I almost can’t wait to get back,” Brian tells me.

“I know what you mean. It would be different if we were visiting for pleasure, but…”

“I meant to question you further about your meeting this morning.”

I nod in his direction. “I would tell you to ask away, but I still haven’t decided what to do yet. However, I do know that with the upcoming contracts I have to finish, I’ll be splitting my time between Cali and here quite a bit for the foreseeable future.”

“Why?”

I shake my head, still a little in disbelief about the offer I received by email this morning. “We’ll talk about that later, too. But let’s just say, I’m attracting a helluva lot of money and I’m not inclined to slow down. Speaking of which, you should probably check your own voicemail.”

Brian narrows his eyes at me, before pulling his cell out of his pocket. “Why do I get the feeling that you already know what’s on it?”

“Because I do, but… well, that is a message regarding your department, not mine.”

“We share departments,” he retorted quickly, which makes me laugh. “So that means, if you know something that’s going to affect the marketing department, it’s your duty to tell me.”

“Is that right?” I challenge, moving to quickly stand in front of him. It’s becoming increasingly hard being so near him without wanting to jump him. I mean, he told everyone that we’re married for goodness sake, and in a way that not one fucking person can deny they heard it. He deserves a really big reward just for that alone. “And if I don’t?”

I shiver, as without hesitation he applied that heated palm to my ass, reminiscent of our first morning shower. God, this man has the ability to make me spontaneously combust with just a few well-placed words or hand gestures. He knows spanking is definitely one of my weaknesses, and only makes me want to do bad things… or more accurately, let him do bad things to me. I can tell he knows exactly where the turn of my thoughts took me just now due to his own chuckling.

“Ah, I think I just thought of the perfect punishment.”

“I like punishment.”

“I know that, which is why if you don’t tell me what you know, I won’t follow through.” Brian brings my body flush against his, fusing us together impossibly close, before he leans down to whisper in my ear. “I’m going to bring you right to the brink using those new manacles we have yet to try out; going to spank and pinch and tease that ass of yours until your body begins to weep and scream for release. I’ll be all over you, rubbing you and marking you at my will…”

“Oh, God,” I moaned, closing my eyes picturing his words. It’s not often that Brian and I play with BDSM, but certain aspects of it can set me off as brilliantly as fireworks lighting up the night sky.

“And then when you’re just about ready to cum so hard… So hard that your blood feels like it’s burning up in your veins; so hard that your cock feels so strong, as if it could drill through all the earth’s first three layers, I’m going to… stop.”

I can’t even verbally respond to the threat, only look down at the evidence of what it did to me. Fuck! All I can do it be thankful that I’m wearing dark pants today, because I can already feel the leaking. Brian is just standing there, chuckling softly as he plays with the strands of hair at the nape of my neck. I want to fuck him… and then kill him… then revive him to kill him again while fucking him! And what’s worse is that I don’t get a chance to tell him so, as we’re interrupted by Em and Daphne’s arrival to where we are standing on the sidewalk.

“Brian, I’m sorry for losing my temper back there in the Diner, but he was warned repeatedly about his damn mouth!” Daphne exclaims by way of greeting and explanation.

Brian nods, surprisingly in understanding. “I can’t fault you for that, Daph. I have to admit, I came close to decking him myself. But no one looks good in orange. You get where I’m going with that statement, don’t you?”

“I do, Brian. I really do. Which is why I decided to take steps to rectify that immediately,” she answers. “Come on, guys. We have to get back.”

“What’s going on now?” I ask, almost weary of this day in its entirety.

“You’ll see. Trust me, Jus. You’re going to want to see this,” Daph tells me assuredly.

WOMEN’S CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

INTAKE

LINDSAY

How the hell could I have missed the gossip surrounding Brian within the Advertising community? How could I have missed it about Justin?!

Those thoughts have been reverberating through my mind repeatedly since hearing that smug little bastard’s declaration before I was hustled out of the Diner. The idea that at only eighteen years old, Justin was being sought after alongside Brian for his art work on the Liberty Air campaign- a campaign that no one knew he’d even worked on until recently- was just… was just...UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE! The talent that kid possesses, and at his age is both admirable and disgusting! People work for years; for LIFETIMES, and never even garner a tenth of the skill Justin Taylor has. It’s something I noticed right away as he sat drawing me while I was breastfeeding Gus, and a few moments later as I was going through his sketchbook. It almost made me wish that we were living in some sort of alternate universe where I could steal his talent and make it my own.

“Hold the sign up in front of you, Peterson!” the desk sargent interrupts my thoughts as I’m arranged to begin the fucking mugshots. 

Christ! I can’t believe this shit is happening! I just want to pull away from the female officer that was sent in here to assist me, as if I’m dressing for some fucking gala or something. She keeps having to put her hands on me to turn me or reposition me, to make sure that I keep my chin up and shoulders back for the frames within the camera. I want to scream at her for daring to touch me… 

Or more accurately, I want to scream and plead for her to scratch me since my skin actually feels like about a million ants are crawling and biting at me right now. And although I roll my eyes at the balding man behind the camera, I still silently allow all of it anyway because I need to make my fucking phone call to get me the hell out of here! Surely there has to be someone Daddy can talk to in an effort to get all of this shit swept away. The idea of the public scandal can only end two ways for my parents, so I know that once I speak to them, they will do whatever they can to get me out of this shit. I almost want to smile, thinking of all the hoops my parents will jump through to keep my name out of the papers and off a court docket…

Yet unfortunately for me, the only solace I have right at this moment are the tumultuous thoughts and memories assailing me at every turn. Without my fix, they are coming faster and faster, without any way for me to twist them into what I want instead of what actually is or was. Case in point is that even as I was having thoughts of wanting to steal Justin’s talent back then, I should have realized that I was thinking like a fucking comic book character, probably due to hanging around Michael entirely too much, instead of the coke laced with LSD I was secretly doing at the time. He and I have always had a love-hate relationship when it came to our places in Brian’s life. I mean, with both of us ultimately wanting the same thing, it was only natural that there was definitely more contention than camaraderie. 

However, when it came to getting rid of a common enemy- any usurper who had the ability to take Brian’s focus from either of us- Michael and I had no problem pooling together our individual talents and resources to run the fucker off. For Michael, it was his ability to whine and publicly second-guess Brian’s decisions; for me it was my ability to plan for and manipulate any situation to make any outsider question why they were ever there. And that was what was supposed to happen with Justin. Strangely, even though Brian had brought him to the hospital for my special moment, I kind of grouped Justin’s presence as unimportant but inevitable, the way I did Michael’s. But it was seeing Brian and Justin’s continued interactions, coupled with Michael’s firsthand complaints about the changes Brian was undergoing without our guidance or permission that had he and I spurring into action, looking for ways to get rid of the young blond. 

At first, we thought the loft robbery was the way to go. Michael and I had set that up so that Brian would kick Justin out, and return him back into the care of his mother. However, what we weren’t counting on- or more accurately, weren’t privy to- was that Justin would be so desperate to stay away from his cushy home in Sewickley that he would steal Brian’s credit card in order to stay away from there. I still don’t know the extent of everything that happened to cause Justin to choose Brian over returning to Craig Taylor’s home, only that there was an incident where Justin was slapped. If you ask me, he should have been smacked around quite a bit more, to where just the thought of coming out would have made him so shit-scared that he would have happily stayed in the closet. 

I mean, after all, if he had I wouldn’t be in the predicament I’m in now.

Unfortunately, at the time, Deb had kicked up such a fuss about Justin running away that I’d had no choice but to side with her in Brian’s retrieval of Justin. She pulled the Gus card, citing that if I was any type of a mother, I would want someone to look for my son if he’d run away. At the time, I still held out some hope that Brian would come to his senses and finally realize that he wanted me and our ready-made family on a permanent basis. So it didn’t seem like such a big deal to persuade Brian to get Justin back here so that he could return the young man to his mother’s and Debbie’s overbearing care. But, none of us counted on, or understood the very real power that Justin held over Brian. 

According to Michael, Brian insisted on retrieving Justin by himself. He wouldn’t even tell him, Ted, or Emmett where Justin was staying; just hopped in a cab in the middle of Midtown Manhattan and took off without giving any of them a chance to ask a question. It was disconcerting, to say the least. But what was even moreso was the fact that Brian and Justin hadn’t met up with any of them again until three hours later. Then wonder of all wonders, Brian had advised Ted to drive with Michael ordered to sit in the right passenger seat, while Em, Brian, and Justin were in the back of the jeep. 

To say that Michael was beyond pissed when they’d gotten back would have been a vast understatement, if I hadn’t felt the exact same way while hearing the recount. So once that episode was over, Michael and I decided that we couldn’t risk exposure and had to wait for the next perfect opportunity to get Justin out of our lives. I started using my contacts at Ryder to gather information about Brian’s work schedule, even as Michael acted almost like an informant to Brian’s boss. When we’d come across Kip Thomas, we thought he would be an easy fix to both of our problems: getting rid of Justin, and keeping Brian from making partner in the firm which would have meant even less time Brian had for us. But again, we never, EVER considered the power and influence of Justin Taylor!

“Turn to the right, Peterson,” the officer taking my mugshot instructs me.

I still haven’t been able to catch up to Kip to find out exactly what happened, although Michael said that Justin had something over the guy which caused him to drop the sexual harassment lawsuit, which was supposed to get Brian demoted so that he wouldn’t be able to take so many business trips. We didn’t want him travelling anymore; Michael and I wanted and needed him here, especially with the advent of Justin. They were getting too close, and to our minds, it was only a matter of time before they started really acting like partners instead of mere fuckbuddies. So Kip’s real job was not only to keep Brian from getting the promotion within the company, but to cause so much dissension between Brian and Justin that the young blond would understand he never stood a chance of becoming more in Brian’s world. But again, we underestimated Justin’s passion and his determination to protect Brian at all cost.

Not only did Justin gather whatever dirt on Kip he could, which stopped our plan, but he also hired Melanie on Brian’s behalf to represent him during the renegotiation meeting with Ryder after the suit was dropped. It caused a major argument between Mel and I, but I had to back down so that she wouldn’t know the part I played in the meeting being needed in the first place. It seemed that Justin was just involving himself in every facet of Brian’s life, and Michael and I were always coming out on the losing end of things. The final straw for me was the introduction of the third-party adoption option in reference to Gus’ custody. It was unequivocally NONE of Justin’s business, but more importantly, it took away any leverage I had to cause contention between Brian and Melanie regarding me, by using Gus. 

Hell! Even the King of Babylon contest, and subsequent fuck with Sean that Justin had didn’t do anything to slow down what Brian and Justin seemed to be building right up under our noses. Instead, it seemed to solidify Justin’s right to be publicly considered as Brian’s; seemed to announce him as Brian’s equal in every way that mattered, while Michael and I were constantly seen as his burdens, instead of his best friends. Admittedly, Michael nor I could put up with Brian’s public persona and constant tricking, but Justin shouldn’t be able to do it either! The constant argument of Justin’s age was brought up, only to be shot down by the actions of Justin himself. No matter what we did, Justin just kept up and kept exceeding any and all expectations, even those set by Brian himself. 

“Officer Morgan, I’ll leave you to do the cavity search now, and issue her a uniform,” the officer informed the female still standing close to me. I want to argue about this whole cavity search bullshit, wondering if that’s even necessary. As if he heard my thoughts, he calls out again, “Make sure you search everything, including her clothes, Morgan. I’m pretty sure that she’s itching by now.”

WHAT?!?!?!?! How the hell does he know that?!

The only thing I can do is submit to this final indignity as the female officer instructs me to get undressed; to bend this way or that and to fucking cough as her fingers… Escaping into my thoughts again is the only way to hide from this shit, so I do...

What sucks even more than this moment though, is knowing that between me and Michael, we managed to fuck up the ousting of Justin Taylor from our lives so thoroughly that now my son has a fucking stepfather! An almost-nineteen-year-old stepfather! I still can’t believe the awe and pride I heard within Brian’s voice when he announced their marriage within earshot of everyone. And there’s no way anyone can even begin to deny that it happened; no way that Michael and I can spin this whole episode into some sort of shared delusion because as soon as Brian said it, at least twelve cell phones were pulled out to record the history-making moment. And yet, the only fucking people who were outraged with the sudden change in Brian’s circumstances were me, Michael, and Deb, while everyone else were either smiling or gossiping!

The fact that Brian chose a fucking KID over the more obvious choices of me or that idiot, Michael, is just… it’s just…

Officer Morgan interrupted my thoughts. “As soon as you finish showering, I’ll take you to your cell.”

“What about my phone call? And why am I here instead of the local precinct or even county lock-up?”

“You’re an alleged child abuser, Peterson. So this is us protecting you… for now.”

I have got to get out of here!

DINER

TED

As Jennifer whispers, telling us of all that we missed, I have to admit that I’m shocked and PROUD that Brian has finally taken these steps. I haven’t had a chance to discuss all that Daniel and I talked about with any of them as of yet, but it turns out that Werschafter gave me the shaft just in time. And the best part is that my name can’t be caught up in any of the investigations going forward. Per his and Melanie’s advice, I’ve already spoken to the detectives in charge of the case here in Pittsburgh and provided them my documentation, thus proving I was in the hospital when the alleged embezzlement at Wertschafter’s and subsequent tax evasion of one of their biggest clients began. So I am officially in the clear.

I would say that I was sad to lose the job I’d held for about ten years, but honestly, all I feel is relief. Well, that and excitement for this new chapter of my life. And I have Brian and Justin to thank for it of all people! If someone had told me that Sir Surly and his adorable sidekick, Sunshine, were going to be the ones to come through for me with an opportunity of a lifetime, I would have told the person to put the crack pipe down. And yet, here we are: Brian and Justin starting a life TOGETHER, and me finally having a bonafide say in getting my own life together the way I’ve always dreamed it could be. 

My musings are interrupted by the constant ranting and screeching still occurring on the other side of the Diner. Although the first thing I notice is Deb babying her brat, it’s also the fact that they are completely oblivious to all of the conversations and cell phone recordings being shared around them. One thing is certain: there’s no way they will be able to twist the truth to ANYONE… including me, since my own phone just vibrated within my pocket. I pull it out, then look around briefly only to meet the wicked smile and covert headnod of Todd. The simple caption of Justin in Action is all I need to have me feeling better about missing the episode from the very beginning. 

God! This mess is so much better than watching Daytime TV, is all I can think of as I continue listening to Jennifer’s recap.

“Oh my God, you all should have seen her! I thought Justin was bad, but Daphne’s bite is much worse than any bark could have been. And she acted so swiftly and decisively… It really was amazing to see,” Jennifer gushes.

“Yes, indeed! She did us proud!” the older gentleman, I think his name is Charles, says. “Even after all these years, it’s great that she’s still able to somewhat surprise us. She must have driven Dwight and Darlene crazy at times.”

Jenn laughs, the sound musical and lighthearted. “She definitely did! Between Daph and Justin, I think Darlene and I must have been ready to check ourselves into a mental institution every other day for the last four years alone. He definitely knew what he was doing when he decided to split his shares with her. If there is one person on this earth, other than Brian, who knows Justin’s mind and heart, it’s Daphne Chanders.” 

“Is she still planning to study medicine?” Mel asks. 

Tatum answers, “That’s the plan so far. But thankfully Dwight and Darlene are open-minded enough that they aren’t going to force the issue if she decides to switch majors. Originally, they only decided on medicine so that Daphne would at least have a direction in which to gear her studies. But as you can hear, she’s got a real head for business, too.”

“What about law?” Mel asks, while listening with rapt fascination. “I only ask because I’ve heard her argue her point of view, even before this. I have to admit she’s a real tiger when it comes to getting her point across, which is a great trait for an attorney to have.”

“I still might consider it, Mel,” Daphne informs her as she comes up beside the table with Bri, Justin, and Em in tow. That just goes to show you how engrossed in the conversation we were- both the one happening that’s being yelled across the Diner, and our own- that we didn’t even register their reentry. “So I hear that he’s not gone yet. Time to take care of that!”

Both she and Justin look at each other, and… is that a collective gleam in their eyes? God, separately they are dangerous to any unsuspecting peace of mind. But together, they have the same lethal effect that Brian and Justin’s sex appeal seems to have on whatever conquests they set their sights on. No one under their spell stands a chance at resistance! It’s going to be interesting to see what the youngest owners of the Liberty Diner have come up with now.

And I don’t have to wait long at all!

Crossing over to the otherside of the Diner by where Kiki is still standing, Daphne addresses George and Levi. I can’t help but wonder how she even knows them, let alone when they would even have had the chance to meet. I know that she’s visited Babylon a few times as Justin’s guest, but to my remembrance, they were both off the clock then since it wasn’t a weekend. But then I remember that they live in the same building as Emmett, just one floor down, so that must be how.

“Have you guys decided to take me up on the offer we’ve been speaking about since yesterday afternoon?”

Offer? What offer? I think the questions, even as I look around to the others. Out of all of us, the only two that don’t look surprised are Emmett and Justin. 

“We’ve talked about it, and the fact is that we can work from anywhere, Daph. And that even includes here,” Levi answers for both of them. 

I know that even though they both moonlight at bouncers at Babylon, George and Levi also own a couple of internet businesses between them. George specializes in distribution, while Levi designs websites. In fact, he and Justin have collaborated on a few of his contracts in the past. But I haven’t quite worked out why that seems so important just at this moment.

“Good. So that means you’ll both be willing to make the Diner your office away from home?” she asks them.

“Sure, and if it’s okay with you, we’d like to bring on a couple more guys so that we can get some rest before our shifts at Babylon from Friday to Sunday,” Levi suggests, and Daphne smiles. 

“I’m sure that both Justin and I are agreeable to that. And your fee…”

“Don’t stress about it too much, Dollface,” George answers. “Since me, Levi, and the guys work as an independent contractor firm for the Sap in addition to his full-time staffers, our security team can set our own hours and fees. So twelve hundred per month will take care of all of us since we all still own our own businesses in addition to profit sharing. Our other two guys are on assignment for the day, but will be available beginning Monday night. Levi and I will more than likely take the first half of the day since those guys have to be available from about three in the morning until two in the afternoon.”

“Sounds good, but… uh why?”

“They work internationally mostly. Computer tech security even though you wouldn’t know it by looking at them. But again, they can do that from just about anywhere. The only reason they aren’t available today is because they are in Atlanta working with the police department down there. They have a few contracts like that, and generally give notice about things that come up like that as soon as they know. Baron and Barrack are in high demand, but this is their home. And they’ll protect it,” he says, grimly looking at Michael being continually coddled by Debbie.

Holy shit, I think I know that company! B & B Intsec not only works with companies abroad, but also within all areas of law enforcement including police departments and bounty hunters. But this is… this situation is a conjoined effort between the police department and the F.B.I., because the client is within the upper-hierarchy of the local government down there. From what I understand, there’s not much they can’t find no matter how deeply buried… and it’s then that I put it all together. 

“The business they are doing in Atlanta has to do with Werschafters, doesn’t it?” I ask George and Levi, much to the surprise of Brian and Justin. 

“How did you know that?” Levi asks, narrowing his eyes at me. I can’t help but shift under the weight of his scrutiny.

“I was just let go from my job due to one of their most lucrative clients being investigated for tax fraud. A client who just happens to be from Atlanta.”

He smiles at me, before nodding his head. “That’s right. And it’s a good thing that you’re out of there. That shit is not only going to be a mess to unravel, but because it’s also going to be a high-profile case it will undoubtedly uncover a paper trail a continent-long. It’s why the boys have been requested, but they are just down there to establish specific connections so they can filter the information gathered.”

“Something you need to tell us, Ted?” Brian asks, and I can’t stop the smile from forming on my lips.

“I’ll fill you in on all of it later, but just to let you know, Daniel and I met yesterday and…”

“EXCUSE ME! But Brian, you should be over here apologizing to us, NOT socializing with fucking Ted!” Michael screeches, interrupting the conversation. 

The silence within the Diner is once again deafening as everyone turns to look at the idiot still sitting there with the bloody towel held up to his nose. It’s no longer bleeding, but well, anything for sympathy, right? Before anyone has a chance to make a move or utter a single word of warning to Michael, Daphne’s eyes narrow and level him with a look that should have burned Michael to a pile of ash by now. At least that’s what would have happened if we were living inside the pages of one of those comics he favors so much. But it’s her voice when she speaks that gives everyone else the shivers… well, everyone except Justin and his family, which leads me to believe they’ve heard the sound of her extreme anger before.

Quietly she looks at the watch on her wrist, yet clearly and succinctly orders, “It’s time for this to be put out on the curb for trash pick up. Make it happen.”

George and Levi smile, but don’t hesitate in following Daphne’s edict. We all watch in amazement as Michael tries to first hold onto the stool he was sitting on, and then wraps his arms around Deb’s waist in an attempt to get them to stop pursuing him. She’s yelling for them to leave her baby alone, even while he’s still struggling to keep ahold of her. Finally, Michael’s grip is pried lose by Levi, even while George grips him by the back of his pants before lifting him in a fireman’s carry. The sudden jarring of Debbie’s body as Michael was forced to let go had propelled her backward, and it was only the quick actions of both Kiki and Emmett that kept her from hitting the floor hard. 

The whining and screeching from Michael could still be heard within the Diner, even as he was dumped on the curb. I almost want to laugh, as sure enough, the city garbage truck is indeed barreling up the street. Michael keeps issuing threats and epithets at George and Levi’s heads while trying to scramble to an upright position in an effort to get back inside the Diner. But the bouncers aren’t having any of that. Instead, they are laughing, even as they are once again telling Michael that he’s banned from the Diner. 

But it’s the last series of sentences that have us all a bit stunned as he yells out, “THEN MY FUCKING MOTHER DOESN’T WORK HERE ANYMORE EITHER! IF HER SON’S NOT WELCOME HERE, THEN NEITHER IS SHE! HER LOYALTY BELONGS TO ME! SHE CAN’T STAND HALF OF YOU FUCKERS! SHE’S ONLY NICE TO YOU BECAUSE SHE HAD TO BE! I TOLD HER YOU’RE ALL USELESS, OTHER THAN THE TIPS YOU LEAVE SO THAT SHE CAN SUPPORT ME! YOU DON’T DESERVE HER, AND WITHOUT ME, YOU WON’T HAVE HER!”

We all turn away from the pathetic scene outside the window to see both the anger, hurt, and stunned look on Debbie’s face. And although all of us want to ask, only Kiki is brave enough to do so. “Is what he says true, Deb?”

I don’t know if her silence is because she agrees, or in response to the shock of watching Michael systematically destroy any vestige of trust Deb has built up with all of us patrons over the years. All I know is that the seeds of doubt are definitely taking route. And will continue to do so until she either confirms or denies what’s being spouted by the human garbage can, who is still outside trying his best to get back in here. But she’s saved from having to continually withstand the silent scrutiny of all the inhabitants of the Diner by a surprisingly compassionate voice.

“Deb, why don’t you take the rest of the day off,” Daphne suggests. “You need time to decompress, as do the rest of us. Besides, it’s clear that Michael won’t leave until you do. So it’s best that you go on home and get your mind right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow when you come in for your scheduled shift, sans your son. We clear?”

Deb stares at her for a moment, before lowering her eyes and nodding once. As she heads off to the employee lounge to gather her belongings, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her. And although Brian is standing there with his impassive face firmly in place, his eyes… Well, I never want to see that look of enforced resignation in them again. It’s so obviously hurting him to stand here and silently bear witness, probably worse than the rest of us. 

But they brought him to that place within himself, and we all know that if any of us intervene it will just be a pass for her to let Michael’s continued abuse of those around him to go on unchecked. But still, she’s receiving an education on Michael Charles Novotny in the most harsh way possible, since none of us have stepped in to stop Michael’s oral diarrhea. The bottom line is that now Debbie is going to at last become the victim to his rants of reputational damage. I can’t help but wonder how she’s going to deal with that.

As she walks out the Diner without a glance to any of us, but the redness of embarrassment clearly written across her face, we see her go over to him, yanking him up just as the truck arrives to take the trash. He’s standing there yelling and waving his hands, demanding to know what took her so long to come out there. Then he had the audacity to step into her face, and for once, she actually leveled him with one of the slaps she generally reserves for the rest of us. Somewhere within me, I’m hoping that it’s knocked some fucking scruples into him. But I know better. 

No, the only thing that’s going to cause Michael to change is for him to experience a taste of his own venom. But it obviously can’t come from any of us here within the Diner, because unfortunately the lesson wouldn’t be taken seriously. He’d just look at any lesson in humility and self-reliance as one big practical joke, which just pisses me off even further. Suddenly, I find myself praying that wherever it happens, and whoever delivers it is as far away from the rest of us as the east is from the west. No way in hell would our ears be able to handle that level of agony!

Once Deb and Michael are completely gone from Liberty Avenue, George and Levi come back in. Looking around, they spot both Daph and Justin and walk over. Levi has a grin a mile wide on his face, while George is still snickering as he says, “So thanks for doing business with GeoLe Security. I have a feeling that this will definitely be one of our more eventful assignments to date.”

Justin smirks back, before shaking his head. “Of that, I have no doubt, gentlemen. None indeed!”


	3. CHAPTER THREE: A FLASH OF US: A NEW NORMAL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BTW... Some chapters will contain *FLASHBACKS*. It should be fairly easy to follow when they are happening...

CHAPTER THREE: A FLASH OF US: A NEW NORMAL

MELANIE:

The vibration of my phone distracts me as I try to concentrate on the conversation between those of us remaining in the Diner. To my mind, it is probably only fucking Lindsay, calling to berate me for allowing the police to arrest her without representation. Entitled much? She should know better than to call me, considering not only what she did to me last night but what she had been doing to Gus for more time than I have no choice but to think about. Between her and Michael, as far as I’m concerned, they can both can take a long walk off a short pier head-first into hell!

I almost can’t believe the hateful, and hate-filled litany that came out of Michael’s mouth as he stood out there and continued to spew the vomit-inducing words that put his true feelings and intentions on full display to everyone in the building. But the question of whether he was really speaking Deb’s thoughts still remains in question. I mean, it would stand to reason that he’d picked up that kind of venom from somewhere. And honestly, who is the first person to teach us anything?

Buzz…. Buzz…. Buzzzz. I silence the phone’s vibration again. 

“Do you really think she feels that way?” Emmett finally asks the question I know is going around in each of our minds. His heartbreak at hearing the evidence of all our collective fears evident even as he pulls Daphne into his arms, needing the comfort.

“I don’t know,” Jennifer answers. “And honestly, we all have no way of knowing, despite the surety of how Michael spoke those words. So, right now, until we know for sure through her actions, I suggest we don’t buy into the bull. There will be time enough to prove or disprove his theories.”

“Besides, we have more important things to talk about right now. Such as, when you two got married, and how the hell did THAT happen?” Daphne suggested. 

“Long story short, we decided to try it out…” Brian began, looking at Justin

“For a night,” Justin interjected.

“But, well…”

“So far, we also decided that we like it.”

“Okay, but for how long?” Daphne asks the question that I know just popped into all our minds.

But admittedly, Brian’s answer surprised us all. “As every one of us in this room knows personally, nothing is guaranteed. But that said, I wouldn’t be placing bets on how long we last.”

And you know, that answer was so Brian and Justin that none of us could find the slightest bit of fault in it. These two always march to the beat of their own drum, and the rest of societal conventions be damned. They live each moment, while planning for tomorrow, but they have this adaptable quality to them that is both scary and enviable. They are so different than anyone I have ever met, and somehow out of billions of people walking this earth, they’ve found each other. And what’s even more stunning is that age can’t even be considered a factor in this equation because it’s their personal philosophies that bind them together; something that I discounted at one time like everybody else until my talk with Justin that not-so-long ago night.

And as I continue to watch how they are with each other, I realize that I’ve never had this kind of connection with Lindsay. I had it with... It’s what I want for myself, and I want it with Leda again. I look over at her then, and I can tell that she’s having the same exact thoughts. I suppose that this is a conversation she and I need to have, and soon. I honestly don’t want to wait. 

In fact, I think I’ve waited way too long to start feeling alive again.

As the conversation turns to what we walked in on, my phone rings yet again. No one else noticed, except Brian, who gives me a questioning look while gesturing to the phone which starts to immediately buzz again. Rolling his eyes at me, he reaches for it, prepared to answer it on my behalf if it’s her. And although part of me wants to yell at him for snatching it from me, I also want to fall into a puddle at his feet. Because more than anything, at this moment, I finally understand how Brian’s protective gene really works.

Looking down at the caller ID, he tells me, “I think you need to answer this. It’s not who you think it is, but Maureen.”

“My assistant?”

“That’s what the screen is flashing,” he says, sarcastically. Then reaches out to grasp Gus’ stroller. “I got him, you go take care of that. Donaldson probably had her call you to get the whole story of what happened last night. I mean, one of his top attorneys being involved in a domestic dispute, even if it isn’t her fault, is something that needs to be analyzed and addressed before it hits the news. If I was in his position, I would want to talk to my employee- a partner in my firm- as soon as possible, too.

And I know he’s right, even if it’s something I would rather not do. I’ve worked incredibly hard to keep most of my private life away from the professional, except for when I needed to attend business functions which Lindsay attended with me on occasion. I never wanted or needed the hint of scandal to ride my coattails the way others sometimes did. To me, I always wanted my win-loss ratio to do my speaking for me, which is how I recently made partner at the firm I’d started off as a paralegal in. But now, the very thing I’ve never wanted is about to come back and bite me in the ass, and all because I got involved with an attention-whore…

“Okay, but don’t talk about anything really important until I get back in here. And don’t make any plans, either! I want to know firsthand what we’re going to do.”

He nods, even as I head to the door. Situating myself against the front of the building, I take a few deep breaths before calling Maureen back. It’s not that I have anything to lie about; just that I don’t like having my personal life and decisions under such close scrutiny. It’s unnerving in the extreme. But considering that Lindsay will probably call her parents, or even try to persuade Lynette to use her high-society influence to get her out of the shit she’s in, I acknowledge that it’s better to get all of this out into the open now.

“Hey, Maureen. What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, Ms. Marcus. But Mr. Donaldson asked me to call you. You need to get to court within the next hour… in time for the afternoon sessions to begin.”

“Why? What’s going on?” Most of my case had gone to verdict before the botched wedding… well, all except three. But they aren’t due back for at least another week. “Is everything okay?”

“As far as I know everything is, but… well, Judge Harris has made his decision in the Spitzer Pharmaceutical case. I’ve already called the clients and they are going to meet you there. And although Harry is going to meet you there, he thought you might want to hear the verdict in person.”

I look down at myself, almost shaking in embarrassment at the sight I must look like. Although I’ve showered and changed, I still haven’t had the heart to go back to the house. Fuck! All of my suits, my files, and briefcase are there. I can’t show up to court less than presentable! I… I…

“Ms. Marcus, are you still there?” Maureen’s concerned voice comes over line, pulling me back from the panic attack of epic proportions I feel coming on. 

Although the case is high-profile, we’ve managed to keep all the major players- including the names of the attorneys working on both sides- quiet. That will end today with the verdict, no matter the outcome. As my mind continues to race, I realize the one thing that would have made me physically ill just nine months ago… I need Brian Kinney.

“Yes, I’m here, Maureen. I’m not at home at the moment, but I will try to get everything I need to get to the courthouse as quickly as possible. In the meantime, tell Harry to speak to call a brief meeting with Judge Harris and Judge Barrows, whom I was with this morning regarding a personal matter. It will explain why I’m going to be running a bit late.”

“Will do. I’ll make those calls now. Is there anything else?”

“Yes. If either Lindsay or any of the Petersons call, tell them that I will not speak to them directly and to call Thomas Gabriel, who is my personal attorney. Beyond that, I have nothing to say to them.” 

BRIAN

Even from here, I can see Melanie’s agitation. I can’t help but wonder what fresh fucking hell is coming for her and us this time. It seems like every time Justin and I have turned around in the last few months, the world has been trying to shake beneath us to swallow us whole, beginning with the loft robbery, straight through to last night. But as always, we have a never-say-die attitude and continue to deliver the metaphorical middle finger at everything that tries to tear us down, emotionally and mentally. But generally that’s how life went, so all we can do is keep moving forward and fuck all the rest.

“So let me get this straight…” Justin said, silently fuming. “Lindsay intended to involve Craig in her and Michael’s plan, after hearing from Ronald that Brian is no longer employed at what is now Ryder-Vanguard?”

“That’s what she told him, right before advising him that we were in the process of regaining control of your trust from him,” Tatum told us. Then she snorted derisively. “Honestly… high people should never try to think rationally or whisper. Even though it’s highly-entertaining when they do, their supposed intelligence always leaves a lot to be desired.”

“That’s pretty accurate for Lindsay, but what’s Deb’s and her ingrate’s excuse?” Jennifer’s mother, Suzette, asks rhetorically. The twinkle in her eyes is the same one I’ve seen both Jennifer and Justin have when they are being particularly vicious, no matter that they still look somewhat innocent and guileless. It truly is a gift!

Originally, when I was told that Justin’s grandparents were meeting us at the Diner, I couldn’t help the feeling of abject panic that almost overtook me. I mean, sure, they love Justin and would do anything for him. But at the mention of their names, I couldn’t stop the feeling that they would judge me, and somehow find me lacking. At that moment, it didn’t matter that I was- to date- a self-made, self-assured man. All that mattered was that they could accept Justin’s decision, which just happens to be me.

But, so far they’ve all been gracious and humorous in the most unexpected ways. Even though they are all high society, they are also so down-to-earth that it was almost impossible not to want to stand there gawking with your mouth hanging open in surprise at the things they have no compunction in saying. Because I’ve been growing more and more familiar with Jennifer, it was less of a shock to take when it conversing with Suzette. I mean, this is a woman who could make something as dirty as ‘Check the batteries in my dildo before you fuck me with it’ sound as proper as ‘Will you be having wine with your dinner?’ Yet in this environment, she’s just as relaxed as I would imagine she would be as one of the ruling families within the Country Club sect. 

But it was that kind of revelation which made the reality of Craig’s parents even more jaw dropping. Having had run-ins with him, the last thing I could have ever imagined was that he sprung forth from approachable people. It wasn’t that he was just haughty, but in retrospect, there was a bit of fear, too. But unlike what he’d tried to get Justin to believe about his grandparents and his status within his family, it’s now become obvious that there was some other reason Craig was hellbent on keeping Justin as a token closted heir to his ‘family’ name. But… no, that can’t be it either, unless…

“Well there’s only one thing I can say to that,” Justin says, through gritted teeth which catches my attention immediately.

“Sunshine, what are you thinking?” I ask, as he pulls out his cellphone.

“It's not about what I'm thinking, Brian, but what I'm doing that's about to cause a tidal wave."

"And just what is that, Jussie?" Charles asks, eyes fixed on his grandson. But what's even more surprising- although I suppose it shouldn't be- is that Jen, Tatum and Suzette all have the same look of concentration on their own faces.

I believe this is the evidence of what Justin's said to me many times over the past few months that I've known him. He said that it's their way of listening more acutely for the things left unsaid, than what is. I just simply call it that Jedi-midtricking shit whenever Justin employs the same methods on me. It's both disconcerting and scary as hell! But in a lot of ways, it's also comforting to know that even when there are things I can't voice... yet, he always seems to know exactly what I mean.

He smiles at his mom and grandparents then. "No need for undue worry, Parental Unit. I'm simply keeping a promise I made when we were leaving Ryder’s the other day."

"He's right, everyone," Cynthia cuts in. "Ronald Peterson was warned about his loose lips repeatedly during the meeting."

"I'm not surprised that he ran his mouth. He's more gossipy than most women I know," Tatum huffed before continuing. "But I still think you need to tell us, Jussie, if for no other reason than to give us the ammunition to dispel a few myths and sink some ships of our own."

He laughs lightly, shaking his head at his grandparents, and it's then that I see just where and how Justin was taught the art of strategy from a young age. What's funny is that I'm sure that there will be other lessons along the way that Justin hasn't even been taught yet. And holy shit! Those lessons are also going to extend to me because I married him. Hell, I'll probably find myself using some of them to get Justin around to my way of thinking sometimes.

I snicker internally at where my thoughts just took me for a moment. It's going to be a pleasure to learn from all of them.

Justin begins to lay out the details of our final meeting at my former place of employment for them. "First, Ronald was instructed not to mention any of the details that happened within that office to anyone outside of it. That directive also included Nancy and Lindsay. Since they are cut from the same cloth of Can't mind their own damn business, it stood to reason that if one of them knew, so would the other."

"But you don't mention Lynette. Why?" Suzette asks.

"Mostly because she can't stand her mother nor her sister," Justin answers matter-of-factly. "Out of all the Peterson women, she's the one with the most clout and the least amount of interests in what Brian and I are doing. Surely that kind of situation would burn Lindsay and Nancy up, thereby trying to pressure Lynette into doing their bidding. And although she is more apt to tell them to sit and spin on a rusty nail, she's also quick tempered when it comes to verbally sparring with Linsday, who has a talent for pushing people's buttons. So that is why Ronald was told not to share any information about our departure with anyone, which brings us to this next thing.

"The second fact in all of this is that he violated a very specifically-worded confidentiality clause we had put inside of that contract, which stated that if any employee or independent contractor affiliated with Ryder OR Vanguard Agencies were to disclose any vital information or specific terms that were discussed within the office, we would have the grounds and would take immediate legal action against both the culprit and the company. So, calling Gabriel is going to be ME honoring that promise, which is something both Ron Peterson alongside Ryder and Vance are about to appreciate regarding me in spades.”

And talk about the looks of pride aimed in his direction! It's as plain for anyone and everyone to see. What can I say other than Sunshine is a fucking awesome ally, but a deadly opponent. Melanie chose that moment to rush back inside, heading directly for us. “Hey, everything okay?” I ask, noting the small frown drawing her eyes together.

“Everything is fine… well, sort of. But... well, I need you.”

My first inclination is to make light of her obvious discomfort, so I do. I mean, who am I to deny myself the perfect opportunity to fuck with Mel; there have been precious few moments as of late. “Now, now, Smelly Melly, we’ve been over this. NO, my dick can not be borrowed without all of me attached to it. That would kinda lessen my mystique if it was allowed to run around free without my charm and rapier wit to accompany it.”

“Can it, asshole,” she demands, while snickering at the same time. That’s another testament to how far she and I have come since visiting Del’s that afternoon only a short time ago. God, it seriously seems like a lifetime ago now, since our lives have been one big episode of ‘GO’ since Justin and I accepted the job in California. 

“So, since it’s not my dick you want, it must be my other area of expertise…”

“Which is?” All three of Justin’s grandparents ask. Somehow they are not only interested in the conversation, but really curious about the answer.

But just as I’m about to answer, just about everyone in the place yells out, “CLOTHES!!” I would glare and growl at them, but they’re right for once.

“So, what, as the newest member of my adoring fan club, do you need?”

“Jesus, Brian. Conceited much?” Mel rolls her eyes. But she didn’t say I was wrong, so I’ll work with that.

“Not at all. To be self-assured is much more classy than to be conceited; there’s a difference. Anyway, since that was your office, I imagine that you need to get to court?”

“Yeah, but I can’t go back to the house just yet,” she tells us as she begins to fidget and pace. I don’t even think she realizes that she’s begun to ramble and justify her need for me to help her get her shit together until she says, “It’s probably the biggest fucking case of my life, but I look and feel like a fucking train wreck! The reporters will probably have a field day speculating about how the lawyer for the plaintiffs’ reminds them of an abused, junkie housewife. Oh my God! The innuendos from the press, the background check they’ll no doubt do in order to confirm their suspicions, the…”

“Mel!” Justin yells, immediately drawing her attention. “Calm down. Brian will definitely help you, and if I know Em, he basically has an arsenal of must have makeup within his messenger bag over there. So calm down!”

He turns to me then, as I’m standing here trying to put everything Melanie said together about the case she’s been working on. A slight smile finds its way to my lips, even as I say the name of the company. “Spitzer Pharmaceuticals. That is the company you’ve been secretly trying the case against, isn’t it, Mel?”

Wide-eyed she asks, “How did you know that?”

“I know a bad risk when I see one.” She starts to protest but Cynthia’s loud laugh and Justin’s snicker immediately calms her down. 

“It’s not you, Mel,” Cynthia assures her. “It’s that Brian refused to work with that company when Ryder demanded he do it. The funny thing- or not so funny, depending on how the one named Marty will view it- is that when Brian basically told Ryder to either go fuck himself or assign the campaign to another account rep, Brian told him that it wouldn’t be long before they found themselves facing a tremendous lawsuit, either because of their meds or their discriminatory policies towards people within their employ who didn’t fit their lily white mold. Needless to say, Ryder disregarded Brian’s advice not to take the account and is probably scrambling to… Ahhh, that’s why they were ordering you back from your vacation so adamantly, Brian. It wasn’t just because of the sale, or more accurately this new merger of theirs. It’s because Bob and Brad’s job has been to do damage control as their advertising execs and publicists. The clowns of Barnum and Bailey circus are more qualified for the job than the two of them.”

“Well what did he expect from two people who seem to share the IQ of a raindrop and all the charm of a wet noodle?” Justin asks.

“Damn, that’s cold, Sunshine. And here I thought I was being cruel just threatening to fire them at every turn.”

“I would apologize, but Mom’s here, and I’m not enduring that particular lecture,” he retorts, wryly, causing all of us to laugh. “So the jury must be back then?”

“No jury. The head of the company decided to let the judge go over all the evidence and hours of witness accounts and affidavit testimony. It was supposed to take a few more weeks, but… well, he’s called for us to be there this afternoon.”

I can certainly understand Mel’s panic at this moment. Like it or not, this case, which has managed to be one of the very few to be kept under wraps from beginning to whatever its inevitable conclusion, is going to either make or break Melanie’s career. Yes, she’s a partner in the firm she’s been working in for the last ten years. But whatever this news is, it’s going to be known not only nationally, but is going to ripple across international waters as well. I think if I was Mel, I probably wouldn’t trust myself to dress me either. 

“Well, let me call Ernie and see if he has a suit on hand to fit you without you having to be remeasured. I doubt that you’ve picked up or lost enough weight for the cut not to compliment anyway.”

“Wait a minute! How do you know that? I didn’t…”

“Remember the suit you wore to your partners induction dinner? The one where you were introduced publicly to all of the neighboring firms and their affiliates?”

“Yeah. Lindsay acted an uppity ass that night,” Mel sneers in remembrance.

“But you had to know she would.”

“That’s beside the point, Brian, and you know it!”

“I do know it. Anyway, I had Ernie alter and tastefully embellish your suit at her request. Believe me, she acted like a total uppity ass there, too. But fortunately for me- not her mind you- Ernie knew exactly how to handle her so that I wouldn’t have to.”

“Ooh, what did he do?” Cynthia asked, since she also goes to him. 

Mel gasped, and then laughed. “So that’s why she always seemed to have a potty emergency that night, huh?”

“Yep. He said that since she was acting shitty as a bull, he would turn her into a docile heifer by the end of the night. It worked.”

“So it did!” Melanie laughed again. “By the time she got home, she looked absolutely exhausted and ended up falling asleep in the unnecessary ball gown she wore. Of course, that was apparently part of her mood, even though I tried to warn her beforehand that none of the other wives were going to be that dressed since it was mostly a business dinner. But, as per usual, when she doesn’t want to hear something, her ears automatically turn off.”

“That’s true. So I’m going to call Ernie and have your suit delivered down here. I’m sure that you can change in the back. Ted, can you go by the house and grab Mel’s briefcase?”

He nods and she tells him it should be under the table in the foyer of the house. I understand exactly why she doesn’t want to go in there right now. Lindsay really did a number in there from what I saw briefly last night, and Mel just doesn’t need to be reminded of that shit right now. I turn to Emmett to give him my next order, but he’s already sending Daphne out the door. 

“Sweetie, head on over to Jolene’s and get Mel a pair of kick ass pumps to strut herself up in that courthouse as if she owns it. Black, size seven-and a half. Generally the cut of the shoes run a little big because it’s where all the queens go. But Jole also services the lipstick lesbians and always has some gems put aside for them. Tell her that I sent you and that it’s for Mel. Trust me, she’ll have just what we need.”

Daph nods and then flies out the door. As the milling about begins around the Diner again, I know that Justin is still thinking about the situation with Ron Peterson. Once I finish the call with Ernie, I bumped my shoulder lightly into him. When he looks up, I once again see just how angry he is about this situation. I'm already thinking of all I have to do in order to hide the bodies, and get us the fuck out of town before the police can pin a murder on him. First things first is to go shopping for nondescript clothing in Ted's closet because a man in these particular Diesel jeans would be hard to miss. But Ted... well, he needs to update his wardrobe but until he does, it's better than stepping foot into the Big Q.

"You know, you can stop looking at me as if we need to start planning how to live off grid for the next five years. I'm feeling vengeful, not homicidal."

I would ask him how he knows that but again, I don't have to. "So what exactly are you thinking?" I could come up with a million things, including exactly which outfit of Ted's to wear, but his next words surprise me since it's the very last thing on my own mind.

“I think I’m going to keep the store, but hire a manager and change the name a bit.”

“Why do I have the feeling that I should be both excited and scared at the same time?”

“Because you probably should be,” he tells me, flashing that billion dollar smile again before sobering. “Also, there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

“Good or bad?”

“I guess that depends on how you look at it.”

I sigh, before asking the dreaded question. “Well, what is it?”

“I want to buy Buzzy’s and Thorton’s book store, both of which have come up for sale. Irma and Buzzy both want to retire, and don’t want to have to worry about collecting rent or do anything else business related.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Remember that I needed to see the Thompkins’ while I’m here regarding the commissioned furniture I agreed to design for them?” I nod so he continues. “Well, Irma is Mrs. Thompkins’ best friend. She wants to move, but feels kind of trapped since it’s the only major booksource in this area. The closest Barnes is over a half hour away, and honestly, the area is prime real estate and needs to be built up. Only a wall separates Buzzy’s from Thortons, but whereas Irma has been utilizing all three floors of her business, Buzzy hasn’t. So I’m thinking that if we join them from top to bottom, we can not only have a bookstore worthy of competing against Barnes, but also we can have room to spare to make it a real cafe/ lounge which will generate a steady source of residual income for us.”

“And?”

“And?”

“And I know you, Sunshine. There’s more to all of this sudden need to acquire property in a town we aren’t even going to be living in full-time anymore.”

After a few moments of studying me, he admits, “Yes, there is. And although I’m not generally a vengeful person, I won’t deny that the appeal to be so is there full force. Will it give me great pleasure to take over Buzzy’s and then ban Michael from it? It sure the fuck WILL! But, is that my sole reason for wanting to buy the bookstores? No, it’s not. Remember what I said about my upbringing, Brian. For me, it’s all about the acquisition, so this is no different.”

“And the name regarding Taylor Electronics?”

“It will just be a matter of adding my NEW last name to it. So it will be called Taylor-KINNEY Electronics, which not only explains the seemingly sudden transfer of ownership from Craig to me, but also announces just who the fuck I am. It’s also a fact that will keep Craig from thinking he imagined the whole thing. There’s a real good possibility that he’ll stay as far away as he can from any of the stores bearing the name.”

“There’s also the possibility that he won’t, or will try to hire someone to blow all of them up.”

“What a horrible thing to say, but I’ve thought about that possibility, too. So, not only will the stores have round the clock security both inside and outside, but the security footage will also be monitored off-site so there will not be any way to alter any footage. Let me be clear, Brian. I don’t trust Craig any further than Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles can see. But I won’t let him, or the ideas of what he could or might do, mess with our future. You asked me once before what I wanted.”

“And what have you decided?”

“That I want to be your husband, but I also want to be independently wealthy. And I don’t mean just any kind of wealthy, Brian. I want to be a multi-millionaire by the time I’m twenty-five, which means I have a shit ton of work to do between now and then.”

“Wait though. Why the rush?” I ask, trying to fully understand why this goal is so important to him. I automatically know, even before his words give me the confirmation.

“Molly will be ready to begin adulthood by that time, Brian. Which means college, and a host of other things that she’s going to need. Now, I intend on setting up a nest egg for her, but to do that, I will also have to split up my own earnings. If I look at what my part of the account is right now, on the surface, it’s not doing too bad. In fact, it’s looking very healthy. However, I won’t have Mom struggling to take care of Molly solely by herself, and we both know that Craig isn’t going to do a fucking thing to help, even though she is still legally his responsibility. So that leaves me; and it means that I can’t be selfish. But what it does mean is that I just have to work hard, play harder, and still be a man I can look at in the mirror with pride and honor. I just need to know that you’ll support me through it. Can you do that?”

I draw him close to me, kissing the top of his head as he snuggles into my arms while we’re standing here. I close my eyes to inhale the crisp clean scent that always seems to follow Justin, along with that other enticing smell simply known as Justin. I lean down a bit until my lips graze the shell of his ear. “Of course, I’ll support you, Sunshine. Just do me a favor and don’t burn out, or forget that you have a husband who is going to require your attention as well.”

“I won’t, Brian.”

I know that he would never do it intentionally, but well… Life happens, even to married couples who have been in love for years. I know that I will have to be patient with him, since really mine and Justin’s work ethic when I was his age are exactly mirror images of each others’. The problem though, is that while I was completely unattached, I’m just selfish enough not to let Justin go for any reason. So yeah, we’re going to have to find a balance between work and play, but will also have to include parenting Gus. 

Sure, Mel is going to be around, but we can’t leave her to act as a single mother while demanding that she forgets about her own career, as we’re constantly pursuing our own. That’s not fair to her, and it’s chauvinistic to even consider such a thing. So between the three of us, we’re going to have to learn the art of compromise. I just hope that Donaldson has a chance to talk to her after court today. She’ll be less likely to backtalk him or metaphorically try to kick him in the balls.

And with that thought in mind, along with the timely arrivals of Ted, Daph and Ernie, it’s time for me and Queen Em to go work our magic on Cinder-fucking-Mella. The sooner we do, and the sooner she accepts the possibility that Harry is about to lay out to her, the happier we will all be.


	4. CHAPTER FOUR: SILENCE CAN SAY MORE THAN A MOUTHFUL

CHAPTER FOUR: SILENCE CAN SAY MORE THAN A MOUTHFUL

MICHAEL:

She’s still not talking to me. STILL! I don’t understand what the fuck her problem is. All I did was say what she’s voiced many times down through the years. Granted, it’s been many years since she’s said as much aloud, but that’s not really the point, is it? 

Honestly, the only thing that seems to have changed since she first started working at that brick and mortar bane of my existence is that some queers have moved on only to be replaced by more of the same. So, regardless of what Ma may have admitted to now or not, I still spoke the damn truth. And she just needs to get her tits out of a twist and help me figure out how to break Brian and Justin up for good. That’s where the fuck her mind should be at, instead of wherever it is that’s not on me and my problem of the moment. So, adopting my most pathetically apologetic look, I go into the kitchen to sit across the table from her.

“Ma, are you going to continue giving me the silent treatment? I said I was sorry. You’re usually so much more forgiving.” I pouted.

“Why should I say anything, Michael? Besides, talking to you is like talking to a cop after being read my Miranda rights.”

“What are you talking about?!” I explode at her words, but moreso her tone. She sounds completely cold and detached, which is just unacceptable to me at this moment, especially in the aftermath of hearing of Brian’s m-m-MARRIAGE to his fuckboy! “AND WHO THE FUCK IS THIS MIRANDA BITCH?! Uh, Ma?! WHO IS SHE?!”

And before I knew what I had done, Ma’s hand had slapped me so hard that I felt as if lightning flashed behind my eyeballs. As my vision cleared, I realized she was holding her left wrist against her body, even as I was still halfway across the table. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Michael?! You don’t get to grab me like that!”

“Ma, I’m…”

“You’re sorry, huh? You’re sorry? Well, I’m NOT! If you ever think to do some shit like that again, you need to remember that this kitchen is full of knives and I won’t hesitate to cut your fucking hands off!”

I swallow hard at her words and the tone in which she said them. I never knew Ma to be so violent… But then again, I’ve never even thought to grab her in a way that would have her threatening me. I need her. I need her to be my ally in breaking Brian and Boy Wonder up, but right now, I can’t even ask her what we should do about it. Taking a deep breath, I say, “I think… I think I should go home.”

Her eyes softened a little in pity, before she answered, “Michael, you and I both know that you ARE home.”

“No! There’s nothing left for me here. I mean, Brian is… and then I just attacked you and… Oh God, I feel like I’m going crazy!” I sniff as if I’m fighting back tears. 

But then again, part of me really is because of what that little blond boy ass made my best friend do. Somehow, someway, Justin had tricked Brian into tying himself to Justin, and I’m going to find out how. But first, I need to return to David’s house. It’s the only way I can access Hank’s computer, which should give me the answers I need to prove to Brian what a mistake marrying that conniving blond was. In fact, Hank’s continued contact with Justin was the reason he began treating me as if I was an intruder within my own home. 

So the first thing I need to do is to reestablish my role as David’s partner, and therefore Hank’s stepfather. Then it will be time to monitor the interactions between Hank and Justin until I can find a way to sever it permanently. After all, David wanted me in charge of his home, which to me includes managing Hank. David shouldn’t have any objections about how I plan to do that, since he always wanted me to be involved and treat Hank like my own son. Well, when I was younger, there was no way that Ma would have let me get away with having any interactions with boys far older than me. 

The same should go for Hank, and I’m going to ensure it does. And that will especially go for an asshole named Justin Taylor! I quickly wipe the determined frown from my forehead at the thought of my plan, and adopt the pathetic look which usually hits Ma right in the heart. “I have to go back and at least try to fix things with David. I don't want to be alone, Ma.”

“I know, Baby, but you do know that a heartfelt apology is warranted, don't you?”

“Of course, Ma. I should have never listened to Lindsay. She can just be so persuasive, you know?”

“I DO know, but Michael… Son, when you talk to David, you have to level with him this time. Tell him that you were scared of all the changes that seemed to be happening all at once. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

I work hard not to roll my eyes at her. The truth is that I wasn’t scared at all of the changes; just intended to get Brian to realize that he didn’t like me being so far away. I wanted Brian to miss me so much that he would finally realize that we belong together. But that’s not what happened. No, instead he marries my fucking enemy, and forgets all that he and I have meant to each other.

Once again, I have to erase all traces of bitterness from my face before answering her with what she expects to hear. “Sure thing, Ma. I’ll do that. And like you said, I’m sure he’ll understand and want to give us another chance.”

“Good. I know that I had my reservations at first, especially about you moving across the country, but David has been good to you; to us. So it’s not unreasonable that he would have been upset, but he shouldn’t have sent you home. That’s not how a relationship works!”

And how would she know, since as long as I’ve been alive, she’s never had one? I want to ask her that, but I don’t. Doing that will just put us at odds again, and that’s not something I need to happen right now. After all, I have to talk to David first. It looks like once again, Ma is on MY side, where she belongs; I don’t want to ruin my last resort safety net.

But who am I kidding? Of course, David will take me back since I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to him and Hank. It’s time he remembers that. Hell, even his ex-wife knows that! So really, I have nothing to worry about. I just have to work on separating Hank from Justin first, and then everything else will fall into place, including reclaiming my best friend to my side in the more permanent role- as my partner.

With that in mind, I push back from the table to begin packing. “I’ll send for the rest of my things once I make things with David official again.”

“Why not arrange for everything to be shipped before you leave?”

“I don’t want to overwhelm him right at the beginning of us starting over. Besides, David will probably want to do it for me the way he did the first time. Controlling that will kind of be a little nostalgic for him.” 

I don’t want to tell her that I don’t feel like coming out of my pocket more than the one way ticket back to Portland is going to cost me. It’s bad enough that I’m already out the eight-hundred dollars from this morning, with no way to get it back. But if David… I’ll have an entire flight to think of how to get him to replace the money from my account. But first, I need to reestablish my hold on him and Hank. 

“Okay, Baby. You would know how David would react better than I would under these circumstances. In the meantime, I’ll call for a taxi. What time do you want to leave?”

“Can you make it for about a half an hour? That will give me enough time to pack and book a ticket for a flight a few hours from now. I have to arrive at the airport at least two hours ahead of time.”

She nods and walks over to the phone still on the kitchen wall, while I head upstairs. Strangely, I feel a little better about the way my day has been going now that I have a plan in place. I should probably go to see Lindsay before I leave, but… really, I don’t want to. She’s served about as much of a purpose as she could right now. I mean, there’s not much she can do from jail, now is there?

So, once I’m back in Portland, I’ll send a letter to the women’s correctional facility to let her know that I- Michael Charles Novotny- have finally found the way to get rid of Boy fucking Wonder for good! And then, when I have Brian exactly where I want him, she’ll be the first person to receive an invitation to OUR wedding.

FEDERAL COURT BUILDING

MELANIE:

I’m trying to absorb what I’d just read, handed to me from Defense Attorney, Alfred Lutz of Spitzer Pharmaceuticals. Judge Harris was still in conference within his office with Harry, Gabriel, and Judge Barrows, explaining why I was delayed this morning. Since Beverly, his court clerk hasn’t come back into the courtroom to tell us that the hearing is going to be postponed, I can only assume that everything is going okay. I look down at the paper again, seeing the settlement figure listed there and resisting the urge to pass out.

Holy shit! It wasn’t my imagination!

First, let me be clear in saying that my fairy godfathers are miracle workers. From the Carolina Herrera suit I’m wearing, thanks to Brian and Ernie, straight down to the Manolo Blahniks shoes Emmett had Daphne commandeer from Jolene, I look as if I should be holding this piece of paper. I don’t think I have ever looked so damn dazzling, even within my professional capacity, in my life! Then to top it off, Ted took one look at what they were putting me in and ran right out to buy me a new briefcase, saying that if I was going to be dressed as a mogul, my necessary accessory should look just as expensive. I honestly wanted to cry, but was warned against doing so by Emmett, who gave me such a dewy-fresh look that no one within this courtroom would believe that I’d practically been through hell in the last twenty-four hours.

So, holding this piece of paper for the five families most affected by Spitzer Pharmaceuticals’ notorious discriminatory practices is not only well-deserved, but a true testament to how fucking hard I worked on this particular case. I lean over to the man who was the catalyst of it all, and show him the slip of paper. I smile seeing his reaction, which I know mirrored my own mere moments ago. Jefferson Hawthorne- a well known actor in Hollywood, who goes by the name of Jeff Hawks- first brought the lawsuit due to his treatment on the set of a Spitzer Pharmaceutical commercial. Ironically, the problem wasn’t with the Director or any of the the crew; it was with Morton Spitzer himself.

Brian’s initial warning to Marty Ryder about taking on Spitzer’s campaign was because of the heir apparent to the company. And when Morton’s father, Eugene, passed a little more than eight months ago, Brian’s dire predictions were more than realized. The very first thing he did as the new CEO of the major corporation was to do a little housecleaning as he called it. If you weren’t considered the right shade of African-American, you were dismissed. According to his belief, keeping the lighter-skinned blacks was enough to keep the EOC happy, so he wasn’t overly concerned about their complaints that his actions were in any way discriminatory.

But the day that Jeff arrived on set proved to be the day that his bigotry would catch up with him a hundred fold. They were in the middle of the last take of the commercial, regarding the latest product geared towards the African-American community, when Morton arrived and declared loudly that he didn’t want “A Burnt Faggot representing the product line!” It didn’t matter that Jeff Hawks was one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood, despite his sexuality. It didn’t matter that Jeff was the spokesperson chosen because he believed in the product he was selling, and it didn’t matter that he was personally asked by his long-time friend and supporter, Eugene, to represent his interests. No. 

All that mattered to Morton was that Jeff wasn’t the right kind of black and that he was a homosexual. So Jeff did the only thing he could think to do, which was to call his old college study/ drinking buddy named Melanie Marcus, who just happened to work as an attorney in the same state where the large corporation had headquarters. Upon further investigation, I discovered many people who were more than willing to provide information in reference to Morton Spitzer’s business practices and how they differed from his predecessor’s. It wasn’t that they were looking for the compensation merely for themselves, but because the people who were unfairly terminated were not only high-ranking officials within the company, but well-liked and well-respected employees. And sadly for the idiot over at the table, whispering fiercely to his attorney, every last one of those people were SALARIED employees. 

Karma can definitely be a bitch, and at the moment she was wearing an expensive suit coupled with a pair of kick-ass heels. Thank you, Glam Squad!

“Is this for real?” Jeff asks me, as I try my hardest to keep my face entirely neutral. 

“Seems so,” I answer.

“But… it’s more than what we asked for. Wouldn’t it be a bit… I don’t know, unethical to take it?”

I look at my friend and almost want to laugh. I swear no matter how famous Jeff has become over the years since he was forced to leave law school because of his homophobic mother and spineless father, he still hasn’t lost his stalwart sense of right and wrong. So knowing that, I give him my honest opinion on the matter. “Man, if you don’t agree to this figure with a fucking smile, I’ll kick your ass myself!”

Instead of taking any kind of offense, he flashes that billion dollar smile with the most lethal dimples at me, and nods his head. “You’re right. In truth, we all deserve the reward, and he deserves to have to shell it out. Based on this figure not only are all of our broken contract costs taken care of, but there’s also enough here for them to never have to worry about money again, even after your fee. And that’s what’s most important to me.”

I touch his hand gently, smiling at him. “I know. Always fighting for the underdog is what we do. Between the lost wages, and the fact that some three of the families are now in foreclosure on their homes… yeah, he deserved to pay, and pay BIG. But you do know that once this case really becomes public, you’ll barely have a moment’s peace?”

“I barely have that now…” he drifted off, before straightening in his chair and leaning even closer to me. “My, uh… my relationship is about to become public knowledge.”

“You’re seeing someone? That’s great! I had no idea.”

“Yeah, he is pretty great, but…”

“But?”

“He’s also well-known. You know that billboard on First and Fourth?” As I sit there, thinking about the larger than life image of Hadrian Jeanty, I just about fall out of my damn chair!

“No fucking way!”

“Hell YEAH! And let me tell you, he’s worth everything, including the shit storm that’s about to take aim at my career. Know a good publicist, and attorney? I’m thinking that Kate and James are going to need the backup.”

I’m about to tell him about Brian and Justin when the judge comes in and the bailiff requests that we rise. Once he takes his seat, he asks with narrowed eyes at the defense corner, “Have there been any settlement offers made towards the plaintiffs in this case, or am I going to state my decision?”

“There has, Your Honor,” Mr. Lutz advises.

“And is the offer acceptable to the Plaintiffs?” Judge Harris asks, facing me. I can tell that he almost wishes that I would say no so that he can really torture the pompous asshole, who’s sitting over there like he’s some sort of Pontiff.

“It is, Your Honor.”

“Good. So please state for the record the amount of the settlement, Ms. Marcus,” Judge Harris demands.

It’s so hard not to either pass out or smile like a loon right now. But it’s going to give me an awesome amount of satisfaction to say the figure aloud, considering how the defendant also views women alongside anyone not lily white and hetero. Bastard! “Eight-hundred and sixty-seven million dollars, Your Honor.” 

And I’m hard-pressed not to laugh aloud at the look on his face when he asks me to repeat it. So I do, and he responds, “You’re happy with that figure?”

“We are, Your Honor. Although we do ask that the defendant be made to pay all other court costs since it was his actions that brought us here in the first place.”

“I object to that,” Lutz jumps up.

“On what grounds?” Judge Harris asks, narrowing his eyes again. And I don’t ever think I’ve seen Alfred Lutz so flustered in court before. It’s quite gratifying.

“My client is already shelling out a substantial amount of compensation to the wronged parties. He admits that his actions were wrong, and vows to do better. But…”

The judge holds up his hand to stay any further argument. “I understand your concern, Mr. Lutz. However, I would like to remind you that your client could have been facing even stiffer penalties should I have issued my ruling instead of the plaintiffs accepting the settlement. As it is, he will have to hold a company-wide sensitivity training, as well as other actions to come into compliance with our Equal Opportunity Commission and Federal laws. So asking him to pay the court costs is a minimal personal punishment for the amount of damage he has done within his company’s halls. Anything else?”

“No, Your Honor.”

“Good. So now that this is settled, you are hereby ordered to remit payment to these individuals before you leave the courthouse today. I would remind you all of the gag order. You may discuss the case in generalized terms ONLY, but to protect the wronged parties going forward, we order the amount of the settlement NOT to be disclosed to the press. If there is nothing further, this case is dismissed!”

As he leaves the bench, I look to the back of the courtroom in order to see not only Harry but Gabriel as well. And the smile that lights my face tells them all they need to know. So when Jeff grabs my hand, after hugs of congratulations to everyone else and advising them to go directly to the office so we can settle their case in-house, I’m not surprised that he takes me right to them. 

“Congrats, Mel. This case just made you the highest paid attorney within the state within the last ten years,” Harry tells me.

“It was worth every single hour to make sure that idiot thinks twice about discriminating against anyone else ever again.”

“I know. He’s nothing like his father was,” Jeff says. “Eugene was not only a good man, he was a fair one. It’s too bad he died so suddenly, otherwise I doubt Morton would have gotten the company at all. So what’s next for you, Mel?”

Before I could answer, Harry interrupts. “She’s going to be heading up the partnership from the West Coast.”

I couldn’t have heard that right. Right? “Excuse me?”

Harry smiles at me. “You heard correctly, Mel. Gabe told me about what happened yesterday, and now what happened this morning. I was just waiting for this case to finish before I brought the situation we find ourselves in up to you.”

“What do you mean? What situation?” I ask, stunned.

“My old law professor is finally ready to retire. He still worked as a criminal defense attorney, but had been more geared towards entertainment and contract law for the last twenty years or so; ever since he decided to leave the east coast for the west really. Anyway, somehow he remembered a drunken promise he made to me at his going-away party that when he was ready to retire, his firm was mine if I wanted it.”

“And…”

“With this win, it’s the perfect time for us to expand, and you’re who we want to do it,” Harry tells me, grinning.

“Why aren’t you, or Vasquez considering it?”

“Vasquez was at one time, but then his wife Myrna got a promotion to Dean of Students at Carnegie. It’s a position she’s been working towards for a long time, so he wants to let her live her dream. And although I don’t have too many things to keep me here, family wise, I think that with what’s going on with you, it would be better for you… and Gus to be away from here. I heard that Brian and Justin are relocating there, and with your hours, there’s no way you’d be able to be a single parent here. So it’s only logical that you make the move there. 

“Sure, you’ll have to brush up on all facets of law, but you’ll have Edgar’s soon-to-be-former partner to sponsor you so that you can take the California Bar. Gavin Hayes is only a few years younger than you are, but he’s extremely knowledgeable. The two of you will make an awesome pairing once you get going. However, in the meantime you’ll just travel back and forth- company flex expense account in effect- until you’re able to gather and maintain Edgar’s current caseload. Manuel and I have every faith in you that you will continue on your upward mobility swing and take the firm to the next level.”

“Geez, no pressure,” I mumble. Even with this win, I still can’t help but be a little nervous about this new venture. That must have shown on my face because Gabe begins putting my skittish nerves at ease somewhat.

“If it means anything to you, Mel, my firm is already a partner with Edgar’s firm through his other partner. So between you and Gavin, you’ll be joining both of them together,” Gabe advises, which strangely, does make me feel better. Thomas Gabriel is an awesome attorney; it will be nice to have a direct line to him, especially when it comes to Brian and Justin’s business interests and regarding Gus. I don’t trust Lindsay not to try some shit, no matter that she’s behind bars right now.

Jeff takes my hand again, before saying, “You already have one major client, Mel, so why not? Besides, it will be nice to have my buddy close to me again.”

I can’t help but take note of the yearning look in his eyes. Before this case, it had been two years since Jeff and I were able to see each other at all. He was busy with his career; I was busy being Lindsay’s whipping post and instant bank. Which brought me to all my thoughts about her and the last few months. The truth is, I want to get as far out of her orbit as possible. With every minute that passes, I’m so glad that I got to see the worst of her before I tied myself permanently to her in a legal sense.

But in all honesty, I fear what she will be able to do, even from her perch in prison. That Madonna appeal she employs is enough to fool the masses any damn time she wants. Hell, it worked on me and Brian countless times. But also there is the problem of Michael, who undoubtedly will continue to be a nuisance. And with that thought I realize that I’m afraid of him, too. 

Not because Michael puts the fear of God in me, but because I might incur several charges for harming him. He has that effect on people. So it’s that last thought which helps me to make up my mind. “When do you need me ready to relocate?”

Harry smiles. “I’m glad that you are seeing the wisdom of getting the hell out of the Pitts. And don’t worry, Mel. I’ll be visiting often. Not to check up on you regarding work, but to see how you’re doing. Now that it’s settled, I want the full relocation done as soon as you can manage it. In the meantime, you’ll just be our commuter lawyer, so that none of your current caseload suffers.”

“That could work,” I agree. 

“Hell yeah it could!” Jeff says, with a wide grin. “Besides, how could it not when you just made two-hundred and eighty-nine thousand dollars before taxes?”

“Shit! I hadn’t even thought of that!” I exclaim.

“That’s surely going to be enough for you to buy a kick ass place so I can hide from the paparazzi. Make sure it has a high gate.”

I laugh at my friend, and while I’m hugging my staunchest supporters with my chosen profession, I know in the back of my mind I have two people to thank profusely. I owe Brian and Justin Taylor-Kinney a whole lot for this particular rescue mission, and I’ll spend the rest of my life repaying it.


	5. CHAPTER FIVE: SILENCE CAN SAY MORE THAN A MOUTHFUL Part 2

CHAPTER FIVE: SILENCE CAN SAY MORE THAN A MOUTHFUL Part 2

TED:

“That was Melanie. She’s on her way back here, and wanted to make sure that we were all going to be here,” I tell everyone. 

It’s still amazing to me to see Brian and Justin the way they are. They haven’t stopped touching in some way since Michael’s little show when Vic and I arrived. I still can’t believe they are married. Even though I’ve had a few more days to digest it than most of the people within the Diner, it’s still one of those rare phenomenon that almost makes me want to start checking for signs of the Apocalypse. But having seen how together they were at dinner the other night, and seeing them now, I can tell that neither of them- especially Brian- regrets the hasty decision. 

“Did she say how everything went?” Brian asks me, still running his fingers through the scruff at the back of Justin’s neck. 

Admittedly, Justin looks even hotter now that he’s letting his hair grow out. He was already a looker, in a twink kind of way. But honestly, Justin’s never fit that description, especially once he opened his mouth. That young man just oozes intelligence, and it isn’t hard to see what’s really held Brian’s interest in deciphering this particular enigma. But the longer hair has transformed Justin’s features a bit, in that he still looks young, but also more worldly than he did while attending St. James Episcopal Preparatory High School. 

I guess being made to wear it in a certain style for most of one’s life would breed contempt at some point. 

Shaking myself out of my brief reverie, I answer, “She only said that she had news, and was bringing a few people with her.”

“I wonder if the papers have been delivered yet,” Justin mused aloud. “I told Gabriel that I wanted it done as soon as possible.”

“Then trust that he’s done it already and stop fretting, Sunshine. I think he was just as anxious to draw up those documents as you were that he did it. I remember him saying that one or all of them were bound to renege despite the confidentiality clause that they were all made to sign. And the fact that you had Cynthia stipulate Nancy and Lindsay’s names specifically in the contracts means that Ron Peterson can’t even state that he didn’t know of your terms, even before he signed on the dotted line. He’s in clear violation, but more importantly, Marty and Gardner are also going to pay for it.”

“How so when they weren’t aware of Ron’s loose lips?” I ask, because I’m a little confused. I mean it would be one thing if they were present during the phone call that was the start of all this, but to my knowledge and Cyn’s confirmation, they were on a conference call upstairs within RVA as she was leaving.

“It’s the fact that Justin had me stipulate that if one of them broke faith, they ALL did, and therefore would be held legally responsible should Brian and Justin’s confidentiality be broken in any form. In this situation, Lindsay was able to obtain as much information as she did because Ron was talking to Nancy about not only their new positions within DPAA, but also their personal finances and contract with RVA regarding the Liberty Air campaign.”

“Do you think she had a chance to pass that information along to Craig?” Suzette asks. And I have to admit to wondering the same thing.

“I can’t say for sure, but…” Tatum trails off, as if she’s replaying the entire conversation that they were relaying had happened within Judge Faulk’s chambers earlier that morning. The gleam in her eyes told all of us that she’s arrived at some sort of conclusion. “I hate to admit this, but she must have at least skimmed the surface of the situation with him.”

“How can you be so sure?” Charles asks her, and once again, my curiosity is beginning to get the better of me.

“It was in the caustic way he answered her before Judge Faulk cleared his throat and demanded that he hang up the phone. The funny thing is that I remember from back in the days when my grandfather used to work as a court clerk for a well-known judge. If everything is still true to form, unless it’s requested that all recording devices be turned off prior to a meeting beginning, the minutes are always transcribed and recorded. It’s common enough practice, especially since there are always many meetings held within Judges’ chambers, which usually occurs during a trial between the attorneys and the judge. It’s kind of like having a stenographer readily available without the whole hoopla of having to move equipment from point A to point B, only to have to move it back again.”

“So if Lindsay even thought to mention any of Brian and Justin’s business over the phone to Craig, the recorder within the office would have picked up the conversation since it’s voice activated!” Charles exclaims, before taking his wife’s hand. “Have I told you lately how much I adore that huge brain of yours?”

She blushes adorably at his compliment, but shakes her head. “You know a girl like me can never hear that often enough, Charlie.”

“Well I do, you know,” he says, and I have to admit that not only are they endearing but also a little… scary. I mean the heated looks they are aiming each other’s way now are a lot like the ones Justin gives to Brian, and…

“Oh, no you don’t, you two!” Suzetta mercifully interrupts them. “You will not sit here with eyes that resemble heat-seeking missiles, especially not while my Thomas is not here with me at the moment.”

“And just where is Thomas, anyway?”

“Visiting with his own wayward offspring today, but he should arrive back at home tonight. Any time spent with his grandchildren is a joy, but any moment spent with his stuffy son shaves a year’s worth of minutes off his life. Those are his words, not mine.” She chuckles. 

“Grandmother, you didn’t tell me that you had a new beau,” Justin complains. 

“And I didn’t know you were married until just recently, so I think we’re even.”

Justin scrunched his nose up in a perfect imitation of the cheeky woman still staring at him, daring him to contradict her. “Good point,” he finally says.

“I know. But I want you to remember this one thing, young man: Old; NOT cold. Got it?!”

“More than I think I want to,” Justin answers before adding a mock shiver and a smile. 

Both Jennifer’s and Charles’ phones ring at that moment, and they look at their phones with slight frowns creasing their foreheads. “Everything okay?” Tatum asks, instantly concerned, looking between the two of them. 

“I’m not sure, but… well, let me take this and I’ll let you know. Excuse me for a few moments, everyone,” he says and then steps outside of the Diner. “Duane? What have you got for me?”

Duane? As in Daphne’s brother? I don’t have much time to dwell on making the connection, because whereas Charles stepped out, Jennifer on the other hand, stays there and opts to answer hers amid the ongoing hustle and bustle around her. 

“Hello, Susan. Trouble at the office?” She answers her phone in the same upbeat tone we’re all used to hearing from her. 

Like me, everyone watches as the frown enters her eyes, even as her outward appearance stays neutral. It’s a talent I wish I possessed; the ability to stay incredibly calm despite whatever she’s being told right now. Unless it involves the surety of numbers, I don’t have that kind of rein on my emotions. I have tried in the past, like when Blake blew the rehab I’d put him in, but… well, let’s just say thank God that Emmett was there to hold me up because I surely would have crumbled to the floor in my distress.

“I know we just acquired the other office, but why weren’t we informed that she’d done this?” Jennifer asks in such a terse tone, something I never would have suspected she possessed. 

I look over to Justin, whose eyes have narrowed. Apparently, he’s picking up on some of the conversation that the rest of us aren’t privy to, especially from Jennifer’s reaction to what’s being said. “What’s going on?” I ask, but he just shakes his head for the moment.

However, Brian lets him go in order to drag me a little ways away. When we are over by the barstools flanking the counter, he leans in a little closer and says, “I need you to do two things, Ted, and I mean NOW.”

I swallow hard and respond, “Okay, Bri. Anything you need, you know that.”

“The first thing I need you to do is to call Quinn and confirm that Lindsay has a separate account.”

“What? Why?”

“Because that account would be under the name Lindsay Kinney.”

Oh fuck, that BITCH!

JUSTIN:

As I stand here, basically eavesdropping on the conversation my mother is having with her assistant, I can feel myself getting angrier and angrier. Not only on my behalf, but on Brian and Mel’s, too. That fucking twit has not only been stealing from Gus, but has been using the money to fund an apartment in an affluent neighborhood that doesn’t even allow kids as residents! What was the purpose, other than to live out her Mrs. Kinney fantasies? Why would she do this? 

Ordinarily, I would say let’s just go with the most obvious one, and metaphorically crucify her for being an insufferable asshole. But no, Michael basically holds that title. However, with Lindsay, I’m learning that we have to look deeper into her motives because very little reasoning of what’s exposed on the surface is actually the reality. So when my mother says, “I’ll be on my way there in a little while to check the place out myself. I also want the eviction notice immediately delivered to wherever they are holding her. You can call Duane Chanders at Child and Family Services for that information. I’ll call him now to clear the way for you to do what I’ve instructed. After that, I think we’ll send her things- well whatever we find that actually belongs to her- on to her parents’ residence. The least they can do is build a doghouse for the bitch since she’s metaphorically in one.”

WOW! Mom is certainly coming out of her shell. It’s a good thing! So many times over the years I’ve watched her suppress her thoughts and feelings because of Craig’s idiocy and ideals. It’s nice to see that she’s losing her self-imposed censor whenever the situation calls for it.

Just then Gramps comes back in, and ironically the look on his face matches Mom’s. I take a quick glance over to Brian where he’s still speaking to Ted. I take it that Brian is setting Ted to the task of following the money, which explains the stiff set of their shoulders and concentrated looks in their eyes. Meanwhile, my phone is ringing now, and looking at the caller ID, I know I need to take the call. Like Mom, I opt to stay within the Diner to answer it.

“This is Justin.”

“Good, I’m glad that you answered, Justin,” Gabriel’s voice came over the line. “I just wanted to let you know that although I’m coming with Mel to the Diner, and we’ll be there in a few minutes, that I’ve already filed the papers with the court since I was there anyway because of Mel’s case. I met with Barrows again after you all left, and there have been a few new developments.”

“What developments?”

“He’s extended the restraining order to include Ronald and Nancy Peterson. He doesn’t trust Lindsay not to try to use them to further her cause.”

“But they’ve never shown an interest in Gus before.”

“True,” Gabe acknowledges. “But this time, Lindsay is desperate enough to try to force their hands. Remember the conversation we had this morning in reference to Debbie reaching out to Joan Kinney for this very reason because of Lindsay? It would stand to reason that Lindsay would pull out all the stops in order to regain control of her meal ticket by any means necessary. We’re just being proactive in closing all those avenues ahead of time. She’s either going to have to shit or get off the pot.”

I nod, even though he can’t see me through the phone. ‘I agree. And regarding the other things I asked you to look into for me?”

“One was a fairly easy fix, since Robert and Joel are already heading to Taylor Electronics- oh pardon me, Taylor-Kinney Electronics- to make sure that Craig adheres to your orders.”

“And Julian?”

“Is going to be ready to act as your personal assistant whenever you’re ready for him.”

“Tell him he begins today. Thanks for recommending him. I mean, I know he’s your son and all, but the fact that he has a Contract Law degree along with a Masters in International Business… well, you just saved my sanity in ways that you can’t begin to imagine. You’re sure he doesn’t mind?”

“Not at all,” Gabe says enthusiastically. “He was trying to figure out his next move after realizing that although he’s a genius in the courtroom, he’s one of the very few attorneys I know who actually LIKES the endless rounds of paperwork. And since your business ventures are increasing, I doubt we’ll be able to erase the smug satisfaction and fulfillment from him for years to come.”

“But you’re still my main attorney, Gabe.”

“Of course, but having Julian there every step of the way with you is going to help keep you efficient. Between him and Brian, neither of them are going to let you burn out before you even get started. And that makes me feel marginally better.”

“Why marginally?”

I hear Gabe sigh, before he answers me. “Look, Justin, I know we have only known each other for a short time, but I’ve known your husband for YEARS. I know the type of person it would take to keep Brian enthralled. The man would have to be able to not only sustain Brian, but contain him too. And ironically, he would have to have the same kind of drive and determination that Brian has. However, that kind of… endless energy, comes with a hefty price. You will make very few true friends, but miles of enemies on your way to the top. So it’s up to all of us- your inner circle- to keep you as safe and focused as we can. And consequently, it means that we never stop worrying about you, regardless of whether it’s about business, or your personal well-being.”

It’s then that Brian’s words replay in my head: Just do me a favor and don’t burn out, or forget that you have a husband who is going to require your attention as well. 

“Message received, Gabe. And I promise to take the time to stop and breathe a bit so that you all can get a little rest, too.”

I can hear his smile through the phone. “Well now, that’s generous of you, Justin. But listen, let me go, and I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Oh, you said that you were with Mel at the courthouse. Did everything go okay there? Do you know why she was so insistent that we all be here when she got here?”

“Trust me, there’s a very specific reason for it. But it’s her news to tell. She’s about three cars ahead of me in traffic so we’ll be there shortly. In the meantime, rest that big brain of yours for a few minutes and stop thinking of the next thing and the next. We’ll work it all out when we get there.”

He disconnects the call before I can even think to ask him anything else. And, whereas I’m tempted to disregard his orders to rest my mind for a few moments, I can’t deny that I am a little tired. It’s like we’ve been running constantly since we stepped off the plane last night, and the few hours that we slept were hardly enough. Thank God for caffeine! But Gabe’s right. I’ve done all I can do for the moment, so it’s time for me to take these few moments while waiting for Mel to arrive just to relax. 

It’s not more than twelve seconds before I finish that thought that a fresh steaming cup of coffee is placed in front of me. I look up into the brown eyes of the only woman on earth who knows me better than my own mother and smile. “I thought you could use this. You’re beginning to flag a bit,” Daphne tells me.

“Thanks,” I take a sip and nearly moan aloud. “This is definitely NOT the Diner’s usual blend. Where did you get this?”

She smiles. “You should know the taste of your favorite from Auntie Del’s place when you taste it.”

“I do, but I know that you haven’t been out of this place long enough to run to her place to get it.”

“True, but well, don’t tell too many people yet even if it is your business to do so. Auntie Del just signed a lucrative business deal- well two of them actually.”

“Oh? What for?”

“First, she’s going to be Bi-coastal now. Thanks to Brian’s suggestion, she decided to entertain an offer she received almost six months ago for a merger of sorts. She’s still going to keep the place here, but you know those Boozy shakes she always makes at the family get togethers?”

I laugh. “How can I forget the Ring-My-Dingaling or the Tittering Twat? It was the first time something named after the female anatomy really appealed to me. But the Bitter Bitch and Golden Shower shakes really got to me.”

Daph laughed. “Yeah she does have a way of sexually naming the most innocent- well as innocent as they can be with more than two ounces of alcohol in them- concoctions. So anyway, you’ll never guess who the new merger is going to be with…”

“Who?? Don’t keep me in suspense! I always hate it when you do that.” I whine, which causes her to laugh even harder.

“Fine. But again, Jus, you can’t tell anyone just yet. The ink on the contract is barely dry, and I know they are going to want to do major advertising on it since the restaurant is already a major draw.”

“Okay.”

“It’s I.F.I.!”

“I.F.I. as in the restaurant owned by…”

“Chadwick Jean and his partners. That’s right!” 

The I.F.I restaurant stands for Irish, French, and Italian which represents all three of the life partners’ heritage. It’s one of the most premiere restaurants, not only in the U.S. but abroad as well. “How the hell did she manage that?”

“Apparently, one of the partners visited here in the Pitts for whatever reason, and recommended it to their significant others. From there, it kind of snowballed and voila! So not only are they going to enhance Aunt Del’s coffee business, but now they are going to help put her gourmet shakes on the map as well.”

“God! We have to get that contract. I don’t trust anyone else to handle it adequately for her, and therefore them. Del deserves every good thing this life has to offer her.”

“I know, but we’ll talk about it later. Right now, Melanie is coming in. I really can’t wait to… oh my God! Is that…?”

I turn to look at where she’s looking and I know that my own shock mirrors hers. Because accompanying Melanie, along with Harry and Gabe, is fucking Jeff Hawks. How the hell is Mel walking in here with Jeff fucking Hawks?! And as the Diner remains in stunned silence, Melanie turns to lock the door to the Diner, then instructs George and Levi to lower the blinds in the place even as she flips the closed sign. Finally turning to the rest of us, she announces, “Everyone, first I’m going to ask you to do something I never would ordinarily order you to do. Put those damn phones away! This is a special treat for all of you since you’ve supported me through this morning so that I could get to court in record time for one of the biggest cases of my life.”

And surprisingly, they all hastily do what she asks, knowing like the rest of us that something monumental is about to be said. I’m still in fucking shock that one of the world’s biggest action heros is standing here within this place. Oh shit! The Diner that I jointly OWN with Tony and my best friend! And all I can think at this moment is how fucking grateful I am that neither of the three P.I.T.A’s are here to witness this.

Brian seems to be having the same type of epiphany as he comes to rest his hands on my shoulders, as we wait for whatever Mel has to say. She clears her throat and says, “I’d like to introduce you to a very dear friend of mine, and one of my clients of the last few months against Spitzer Pharmaceuticals. This is one of my best friends since college, Jefferson Hawthorne. But you all may know him as…”

And the whole Diner erupts, screaming “JEFF HAWKS!” 

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever fangirled as much in my life. In fact, I’m sure that I’ve NEVER done this before. Usually, I’m the calm, cool, and collected one between me and Daphne. But shit! Fucking Jeff Hawks is in the Liberty Diner!

I look over at Ted, who has gone over to hug the tall man with the most amazing dreadlocks, marvelling at the familiarity between the two. And I think I need to have my ears checked as I hear Ted say, “I can’t believe that you’re really standing here, man. What’s it been? About twelve years, and look at you, Mr. Stahhh.”

And although Jeff laughs, he’s also… Oh fuck! Is he blushing? He IS! He IS blushing, which I would have never thought he was capable of. 

“Yeah, it’s been a long time, Brown Eyes,” Jeff responds nostalgically, as he keeps a hold of Ted. “I swear between our schedules, it’s a wonder that we were even able to keep in touch by phone sometimes. And unfortunately, Skype can only show so much. But it’s so great to see you in person for a change!”

The Diner is in full buzz at this new development, and although I’m about to say something to satisfy my own curiosity, Melanie does it for me. “Now, hey everyone, we’ll tell you all how Jeff has come to be here today, BUTTTT I’m thinking he’ll want to eat first. Salad?”

He laughs heartily then, and the sound is absolutely musical… deep, and resonating. Oh my damn...! “Bullshit, Mel. I want a double cheeseburger with all the fixings. I’ll work it off later, if you know what I mean. Besides, I can’t get a taste of home anywhere in L.A., so this is my chance. You all won’t tell my trainer, will you?”

A chorus of ‘hell nos’ are shouted, and I almost want to laugh as I watch Tony head back immediately to the kitchen. This day just keeps bringing one surprise after another. What started off as one shitty situation after another has culminated in more than a mere celebrity sighting. I mean he came in here with and greeted two of the most unlikely friends in the entire place. Yet Mel and Ted have managed to keep it a secret that they’ve known this man for years?! 

Brian must have picked up on my train of thought because he says aloud, “Well this certainly explains the insta-dates between you two whenever a new one of Jeff Hawks movies hits the theaters.” 

“If it wasn’t for these two, I wouldn’t be who I am today,” Jeff answers, wrapping both Mel and Ted in his huge arms again. “When my parents cut me off, it was the two of them who pooled their money to buy me a plane ticket to Los Angeles, and pay for a place for me to stay and eat before I found my first job out there. What’s special about that is they were both going through their own hardships, but they never thought twice about helping a friend.”

My mind flashes back to one of the conversations Mel and I had the night she was waiting at hospital for word on Gus. “Oh my God! The men’s magazine,” I whisper, but she heard me and nods smiling.

“Yeah. Part of my earnings from that spread helped me to help Jeff, as well as paying the rest of my tuition that year. As for Ted, he budgeted the money and set up the very first investment for Jeff, so that he would have a residual income outside of what little we were able to give him from our savings at the time. I’d say it was time well spent.” 

“Well it certainly is a pleasure to be in the company of such a legend,” Emmett says, much to the agreement of everyone else in the place. “Teddy, I can’t believe you kept this from me.”

Jeff chuckles, but says, “Don’t be too hard on him…”

“Emmett… Emmett Honeycutt.” And he smiles that bright smile that is quintessentially Em, as Jeff reaches out to shake his hand.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emmett.” 

“I wish I could say the same. Who knows? Perhaps, I could have talked Teddy into a trip where we could have met and become much better acquainted.”

Brian tsked, brushing his index fingers together as if to cause Em some mock shame. Which is actually pretty funny because honestly, Em has no shame; kinda like me, when it comes to getting the things he wants or so desperately needs. Sure, we each have boundaries that we won’t cross, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? But whereas Em has learned that lesson in spades over the years, it’s something I have to remind myself of everyday. I suppose that kind of fierce determination is something I will learn to own the way Em and Brian do.

But I have to say, I’m certainly not off to a bad start. 

Brian continues to tease Em, “Ooh, Honeycutt, are you flirting? I think a specific someone would have a whole lot to say about that.”

“Oh hush, you.” Emmett blushes and I can’t help but grin at the flustered look on his face. Although I have to say that I was skeptical about Em having to live in the closet- so to speak- for Drew’s career, he seems to be thriving much better than any of us in the know thought he would. I mean, Em is just so open, and fun… he’s pure light, love, and laughter. But it seems that his covert love affair is just enhancing those qualities within him.

“No… But in all honesty, I think I’m standing in the company of a legend myself. Actually TWO of them,” Jeff says, and then winks directly at me and Brian. 

“Well within the advertising business, they certainly are becoming known as such. And I’m pretty sure that once you and I have a chance to really speak to them about what’s happened this morning, you’ll find that they are the most talented spin doctors you’ve ever met, regardless that they are considered newbies in Hollywood,” Mel answers him, but I can tell, even before he retorts that he’s not talking solely about our professional reputation.

Jefferson nods, smirk firmly in place even with the seemingly innocent look on his face. “That’s true. I know that DeMarcus has spoken to some of the studio execs and has had nothing but great things to say about these two. But my reference is of a much more… uh, intimate nature.”

And I can see the exact moment that Brian picks up on what Jeff is talking about, even as I feel the blush staining my cheeks. “You’ve got to be shitting me? You were there? You?”

“Yep. ME. Although, I was in the area highlighted Masquerade.”

“But on the record you were…”

“That’s right. It pays to have a twin-looking cousin, who is also your stunt double and one-hundred percent... straight. Thankfully, Troy is used to being mistaken for me, even from the time when we were kids. So he might as well get paid for it. The irony is that the man I’m involved with is actually a twin, but there’s no way he’s going to be able to hide behind his brother, since he’s pretty high-profile, too. But again, we’ll talk about that in a little bit.”

Emmett frowns for a brief moment before looking directly at me and Brian. “You mean to tell me that you were at the party where Brian and Justin were…”

“Cooking,” I cut in quickly, shooting a look over to my mother and grandparents, who are just wayyy too interested in this conversation for my peace of mind.

“Well according to my sources, the dishes were certainly tasty.” Jeff grins, deviously. It’s so obvious that he’s enjoying my discomfort. And he’s not the only one.

Daphne laughs and whispers, “Well, that’s certainly a euphemism to get behind, since according to Jag, you two were definitely HOT; burning, even. I do believe that I even heard the term incidendiary leave Jag’s mouth as he continued to sing the praises of a certain well-developed dish.”

She gives me a contemplative once over and I want to kill her. I mean, she’s not exactly being subtle with the continued innuendoes. I can’t wait until the shoe is on the other foot with Daph; hopefully sooner rather than later. After all, I have loads and loads of good-natured payback to indulge in. Deciding to change the subject while I still have a modicum of false privacy left, I say, “So, court went well, huh? How good?”

Mel snickers. “Nice way to take the heat off of you two… for now. But in reference to your question, Baby, it went excellent! I have a feeling that even now, Vance and Ryder are having quite a time combining their efforts to do damage control. All I can say is that they should have heeded Brian’s warning, because now, Spitzer Pharmaceuticals is significantly poorer than they were when Moronic Morton woke up this morning. We just finished settling everything with the other clients, and now… well, we need to talk.”

Brian clears his throat, before turning to Harry Donaldson. “You’ve spoken to her?”

“Yes, and she’s agreed,” he answers, while the rest of us stand in curiosity.

“What? What has Mel agreed to?” Mom asks the question on all our minds. Well everyone’s except Brian, who just happens to be standing there with a cat who ate the canary smile.

Harry answers for Mel, with such obvious pride that it makes my own heart skip a beat for a moment. “She’s agreed to head up our merger with the office of a dear friend of mine, who is retiring. It will expand the clientele of Donaldson, Vasquez, and Marcus into unchartered territory, but we have every faith in Mel that she can make the transition happen smoothly while showing everyone on the west coast just why we are about to be named the best firm in the country.”

“Oh shit! That means that you didn’t only win the case, you…” I say but peter off in shock, disbelief, amazement, and awe.

“Just catapulted both the firm and herself into a height that most attorneys only dream of,” Gabe interjects. “I have to say that even I’m envious to a small degree. That was a dream case, no matter the extensive work it took to win. Fighting injustice on any level is why most of us opt for a career in law.”

“And I’m happy to have done it. That asshole needed to be taken down. Vance and Ryder will really have their work cut out for them trying to defend the indefensible with this guy. There really isn’t a way you can spin a discrimination lawsuit,” Mel advises.

“So I guess you’re going to be looking for a place to live. Any idea what area you want to reside in?” Mom asks, already back in business mode. “I’m still working on my national certification as a Broker, but I have amassed quite a list of contacts from clients looking to relocate out of state while keeping Pennsylvania as their homebase.”

“I’ve never been to L.A. Heck, I don’t even know where the office is located. Harry?”

“It’s not that far from where I understand Brian and Justin’s offices will be, but the area is a little less Metro… well, as much as that is possible considering how close to Tinsel Town you’ll be located,” he answers.

“Mel, if it’s any consolation, Brian and I are in the same sort of predicament, The only saving grace we have right now is that DeMarcus is letting us use both of his residences, one in the heart of Los Angeles, and the other in Malibu, until we find something that suits us. My advice would be to let Mom put your house here on the market and see if there are any short term leases available there. That way, you’ll already begin to establish yourself in Cali, with work and whatever new certifications you may have to take. In addition, you’ll be able to look for the right place at your leisure instead of having to divide your time between here in the Pitts and there.. Plus Brian and I will be there so there’s no reason to worry about Gus while you’re looking,” I offer.

“What Sunshine says makes sense,” Brian sanctioned. “We have a couple of meetings here over the next few days, but then we’re heading back. That should give you enough time to close up the house, and get any other shit in order.”

She nods in reference to what Brian said, but most importantly what he left unsaid. Lindsay. I look over to Mel, looking for any remnant of sadness at the fact that her relationship has officially crashed and burned in one of the most spectacular fashions ever. And whereas there is some melancholy, the look in her eyes conveys relief and excitement for this new start more than anything else. Her next words confirm my thoughts.

“Jennifer, how soon can we list the house?”

“Let’s go there now, and take a look at it,” Mom says. “I should be able to let you know based on what we find there. And when we’re done with the initial walk-through, we’ll deal with the first order of business…”

“Which is?”

“Shipping all of Lindsay Peterson- or should we call her by her heretofore unknown alias of Mrs. Lindsay Kinney’s- belongings to her true lodgings of 1225 Sherbrook Lane.”

“Why does that address sound familiar?” Brian asks.

“Because it’s the current home of Lindsay’s hell.” The glint and malicious gleam in Mom’s eyes announces the residence before the words even leave her lips. “It’s her childhood home.”

Mel and Brian laugh. “Quite befitting, don’t you think?” Mel asks.

“Well, when you throw a temper tantrum, it should be up to your parents to correct you. And since Nancy couldn’t be bothered to do so to Lindsay when she was a small child, let’s see what she’ll do with the full-grown brat she’ll have on her hands now.”

I can’t help but laugh, probably harder than anyone. Because while I’m having my own revenge on that loose-lipped lizard, Ronald, my mother will be teaching Nancy a lesson in parenting very publicly. And what sucks for them is that there will be absolutely no way to get out of the humiliation Lindsay’s idiocy is going to cause them, especially since Duane called Gramps to report what else they found at Mel’s house. Turns out that Lindsay’s other residence was meant to be a hideaway of sorts. Not only so she could come down from her high in relative privacy, but because another professor at Carnegie had found out about the deal she was trying to strike up with Gui when she was going to marry him for a green card.

As I’ve said, with Lindsay, the obvious motive often covers the truth of matters. Her little act of subterfuge was meant to provide her a place to avoid prosecution… and Melanie. In an effort to make the impending marriage between Lindsay and Gui look real, the idiot had given the Frenchman all the codes to her personal accounts, and subsequently, Gus’. I hate to think what would have happened if Brian and Mel hadn’t come to the RIGHT conclusion about limiting Lindsay’s access to Gus’ account when the two munchers had gotten back together. 

“So Lindsay was being blackmailed?” Emmett asks, but Gramps shakes his head.

“No. She was being warned of what would happen should she have actually gone through with marrying Gui. Lindsay wasn’t the first person he’d run that particular scam on, but she was the first one who had a child. Unfortunately, the warning had come too little, too late, since Gui had already begun to move money from her accounts to an offshore account. And there’s no way to recoup the money; hell, his name isn’t even Gui! He obtained the job with fake information, but because the university was so short-staffed at the time, they never did the full background check. 

“So when Brian and Melanie decided to take her off the accounts, Gui couldn’t get any more money, which is a variation on what happened with the target before Lindsay, who just happened to be Pricillia Banks sister-in-law.” 

“So Melanie getting back with Lindsay happened just in time for her, because Gui was never going to leave Lindsay alone until she gave him more money, and if that didn’t happen, he was going to find a way for Lindsay to lose her job anyway,” I interject. 

“Oh my God! Such an opportunistic little… So that’s why she was so hellbent on marrying Brian!” Daphne exclaims, and whereas everyone else is a bit puzzled by it, I’m not.

“Yeah, it is, Daph. Because Brian wouldn’t have only given into Lindsay’s deep-seated fantasy, but he would have saved her the very public humiliation of being scammed. In addition, she could have used her dating Brian as her alibi against Gui’s advances, thereby proving him a liar. I mean, if you have Brian Kinney, why would you go looking for love with someone who is distinctively, unequivocally, NOT him?”

“You wouldn’t,” she confirms. “So what do we do now?”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “You all go on with your plans, business as usual. Justin, you need to be on your way to your newly acquired electronics store. I’ll get with Julian and start working the purchasing contracts and subsequent merging of Thortons Bookstore and Buzzy’s Comic World. In fact, do you want the businesses combined before you purchase both businesses, or immediately afterwards? Either way, you’ll be paying fair market value, so it really is about which way is more convenient for you at this point, Justin.”

I think about that for a moment. “Since both properties are going to be filed as short sales, I suppose it’s fine to keep them as is. The only thing I’m requesting is that if there are any employees currently on their individual payrolls, they be compensated immediately out of the store’s current finances. That way, I technically will take over the administrative portion of the business with a clean slate. Also, while the stores are being renovated, I want whatever staff is willing to stay on after I’ve acquired them to take whatever vacation time they had stored up under their former employers’ if they haven’t already. I don’t want anyone who isn’t on the construction crew inside the store, especially with the specs I’ll draw up tonight. If I’m not mistaken, Wertschafters is the accounting firm on both their records.”

“That’s true,” Ted confirms. “So I’ll call Steve Berry, who was in charge of their accounts. Thankfully, none of the current chaos surrounding the firm would have extended to the two smaller accounts, so the financial records should be easy to obtain. As long as they aren’t overextended on their overhead costs, Irma and Buzzy shouldn’t have any issues in doing as you’ve asked.”

“Good,” I say in response. I’m already feeling the antsiness of getting the hell out of here before Michael and Lindsay’s next round of stupid pet tricks has a chance to surface. I look to Brian then. “Am I forgetting anything?”

“No, Sunshine. I think you have just about everything well in hand… except me at the moment.”

I smile wide at the innuendo. “Well, let’s not neglect you then. Shall we?” I ask, turning to head to the restrooms at the back of the Diner.

“Justin, shouldn’t you be… You can’t possibly mean to…” My mother starts and then snaps her mouth shut, unable to speak her suspicions aloud.

“Of course, Mom. Brian and I will continue as we mean to go on.” And although Mom looks scandalized along with my grandparents, many of the rest of the occupants in the place look decidedly relieved.

That’s right, boys and boys. Although Brian and I are as committed as any heteronormative couple, we will work together. But more importantly, we’ll PLAY together, and when we’re in town, some of you will reap the benefits. That thought fills me with so much anticipation that Brian is about to get the blow job of his life to date. And he knows it, too. I stop in front of him before entering the small bathroom that has seen some of everything, except brighter days. “Come on, old man. I’m going to need the strength only you can give me to deal with everything.”

“And later?”

I lower my voice to the husky purr so evident of my arousal that he knows so well, before stage-whispering against his lips. “You’ll get to fuck it all out of me again to leave me insensate. And unsensible, yet still at my core, as insatiable as only you can make me.”

I pull back briefly to look into his eyes, letting the images passing through my mind speak volumes into his. Brian smiles as wide as I’ve ever seen him do, and there is no cap on my pride then… nor the good-natured, but envious looks being directed our way with everyone knowing beyond any doubt that he only smiles that particular smile for ME. And that’s only one of the reasons Brian is hooked on me. As for the rest… well, they’ll just have to stay tuned to find out.


	6. CHAPTER SIX: RULE NUMBER ONE OF BEING AN ADULT: LEARN TO COMPORT YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY

CHAPTER SIX: RULE NUMBER ONE OF BEING AN ADULT: LEARN TO COMPORT YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY

NANCY:

Hearing Ronald practically destroying his office, I can only be thankful that we let the staff take their vacation. We were supposed to be out of here, too. But all that changed within the last two hours in a kind of warp speed that’s even making me feel unsettled. Which is unusual in and of itself, since I make it a point to keep myself contained at all times. It all started with a phone call that neither of us paid attention to, but ended with a stack of papers being served courtesy of Justin Taylor-Kinney through an intermediary just a little more than a half hour ago.

If I could strangle the hell out of my daughter and get away with it, I would do so happily. Lindsay has always been a problem child; always wanting too much without being willing to expend any effort in order to get it. I suppose I could blame Ronald for that since he’s always given into her. He’d given in to me too, but I’m his wife and should be able to invoke that power at will. And yes, I tend to do so sparingly.

But, Lindsay… well, she’s always tried to emulate me in regards to being able to control men, specifically her father. I mean, it’s where a girl really first learns how to charm, and smile, or pout to get her way. The funny thing is that she almost always succeeded, until I would catch her when Ronald would be just about ready to crack. Then I would put my foot down, while narrowing my eyes towards her. Eventually, she realized that I was too formidable to keep trying as often as she had.

But from there, she would just flick her hair to soften her features and men would be more than willing to do her bidding. All except one, no matter that he actually gave her a way to control him to a degree. However, if there is one thing I’ve noticed about Brian Kinney over the years is that even if he appeared to give in because of her constant carping, he’s much too independent to be totally controlled. If anything, he feels an abundance of loyalty towards those who entered his life when he desperately needed a distraction or five. Yes, I know all about his past, and having to have been indirectly affected by abuse, I have the utmost respect for him to have gotten out and forged his own path.

That’s why I allowed him to continue being around Lindsay. Deep down, I suppose that I wished some of his determination and initiative would rub off on her. I guess it did, only in the wrong way. But if it ever came down to him marrying her, I would have found a way to stop it somehow. Not because of his lineage, but because Lindsay is a fucking succubus.

Would I have loved to have him as a son-in-law? Sure. But for Lynette, not Lindsay. Although Lynette annoys me to no end, I can honestly say that she and Brian have more in common than he and Lindsay. Oh, I know that everyone thinks I hate both of them- and in some ways, yes, I’m jealous- but I also admire them, even if that’s a fact that I must keep deeply hidden. I’ve learned that the best way to keep an eye on Lindsay is to make sure to have an automatic ‘in’ with her. 

And in order to do that, she must think that I am more like her than her sister; Lindsay is a narcissist, after all. Speaking of the little witch, Ronald and I have to discuss what to do about her. The bottom line is that I don’t want her out of jail, even if I know that it’s best she is. A locked-up Lindsay is bound to be even more trouble for us than one who is free and clear. But if we get her out, we will still need a way to control her without seeming to overtly do so… well, in public anyway. 

To that end, it’s time for Ronald to come out and be an adult, instead of throwing a neverending tantrum like a child. I go back to the office, now that it’s somewhat quiet, and open the door. I swear, if I could smack him, I would. The place is an absolute disaster area, with some of the books having clearly been swiped off the shelves. We won’t even speak about all the paper littering the floor and other seating within the room. Well, I could yell at him, but I think the fact that HE will be cleaning all of this crap up without the staff will be more than enough punishment.

“If you’re finished with this barbarity, there are matters we need to discuss immediately,” I say disapprovingly, before turning away. I’m determined not to give Ronald any wiggle room out of what I want.

“What’s there to talk about? We’re going to be ruined thanks to that little son of a bitch!” Ronald yells at my back, as he follows me into my own office. 

After the girls moved out, I turned Lindsay’s room into my own personal sanctuary. Besides, I was determined that she wouldn’t have an opportunity to return. Of course, there is Lynette’s old room, but as far as she knows, that’s an extra wardrobe for me. No need to have her believe otherwise. There’s no way that Lindsay and I could be under the same roof and me refrain from poisoning her within the first twenty-four hours.

Pointing to the seat in front of my desk, I point out, “In truth, both you and I know that Justin can’t really be held responsible for his actions. Per your own recap of the conversation in the office, he advised that you shouldn’t tell Lindsay…”

“He also said that I shouldn’t tell you.”

“Yes, well be that as it may, I’m NOT Lindsay. How could you forget that you were holding a phone with an open line?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Apparently everything, since you’re being sued. So, now that Justin has picked up the gauntlet, we need to decide what to do about it, and about Lindsay. The bottom line is that you want her out of jail. I don’t, in all honesty. However, we both know that she’ll only cause more trouble while in there, and there will be nothing we can do about it.”

“So what are you proposing?”

I sat quietly for a few moments, weighing all our options against my earlier thought about needing to control the bitch. Personally, I wish they made those inhumane zappers that I could put around her neck, so that every time she did something stupid I could send electric shocks through her. But since that’s not an option… “I think we should take Cartwright up on his offer for her.”

“What?!” Ronald asks me wide-eyed before he sputters, “But Nancy, you know how he is.”

“Absolutely, and that’s exactly why I’m suggesting him. If John Cartwright is anything, it’s controlling. Lindsay will certainly need a firm hand to keep her in line. Although I was not a fan of Melanie, I can honestly say that until more recently, she had done a good job of keeping Lindsay under her thumb for a number of years. She was probably tired of having to deal with a woman, who apparently hasn’t matured past the age of playing high school games. With Cartwright stepping up to the plate, there won’t be any way for Lindsay to continue to cause us scandal.” I nod my head, knowing this is one of the best solutions I could come up with.

At last, Lindsay will have to learn discretion, and all the things that go along with that. But most of all, she’ll finally have to learn a useful skill that will have her making her own money. I’m sure the allowance he would give her per month will make what Melanie provided for her look as if she was a millionaire. Cartwright, although rich as Croesus, is also notoriously cheap. So if she thinks she’ll have the opportunity to blow through his money, she’s sorely mistaken. 

“And how do you plan to explain that to her?”

I roll my eyes briefly, and let out the indelicate snort which I’ve spent the better part of this conversation suppressing. “I don’t. The only choice she has is to do what we say, or she’s on her own completely. At the most, we will impress upon her that this is the last bit of assistance we will EVER give her. After all, she has now cost you… how much?” 

At first, Ronald mumbles a figure, of which I tell him to repeat. I already know, but perhaps saying it aloud will finally break through that thick skull of his. “Two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

“Which is what?”

“The full fee of the contract with Vanguard that was mentioned, plus a penalty of fifty thousand dollars for breach of contract.”

“Justin’s initial fee was two-hundred grand?” I ask in a bit of shock. For that young man to command that kind of money based on his artwork alone… “Damn, Ron, I think we’re in the wrong business!”

“Quite possibly, but then again, you’ve seen the ad. Even though I hate the little bugger, I have to admit that together with Brian’s concept, it’s pure genius. I can only imagine how much further they are going to go in their careers- both individually and collectively- while working for DPAA. By all accounts, Brian and Justin will do well there, since Dahlia and DeMarcus Prince are notorious for their innovative creativity.”

“Well, if you know all of that, Ron, why hold them back from leaving? I mean, it’s not as if you even fully agree with the sale, and that especially went for them trying to railroad Brian. So I can’t understand why you would attempt to hinder their upward mobility in any way.”

Ron sighed, and automatically I have my answer even before he speaks. “I knew that the time was drawing nearer for Melanie and Lindsay to split up for good, and since Lindsay wouldn’t qualify for anything non-art related, I knew that she would, once again, be banging down our door in her quest for that almighty dollar. So..."

"So you thought that by having Brian here, he would have taken the pressure off a little bit?”

“Yeah. But now, I doubt even that smallest glimmer of hope very seriously, Nancy. His and Justin's relocation is just going to cause more of a frenzy for Lindsay and the idiot she’s taken to hanging around with.”

“Oh, that Michael… Novotny character.” I scrunch my nose, and dry my face at the mere mention of the big dummy. “I think that’s one of the associations we will most certainly have to address with Cartwright. After all, who knows what mischief Lindsay will try next. He’ll do well to stop the whole thing before it starts, beginning with her astronomical spending.”

“I guess we’d better call him then,” Ron tells me, resigned to what I want to do regarding our wayward daughter. 

“No. I will make that call directly. I want him to have the prenup ready and in our hands before we even think about leaving this house to go see Lindsay. If not, she’ll just stall for time, believing that we’re offering her a choice of where she wants to live, and how she wants to live her life. So we need to have all our ducks in a row when dealing with that she-wolf in sheep’s clothing. She’ll either sign the documents we present her with, or she’s not getting out. It’s just that simple.”

I hand Ron the check registry that I have taken to keeping in my office so I could prevent him from continuing to write secret checks to Lindsay. After the last time that she refused to provide a viable excuse of needing five-thousand dollars I’d had enough of watching her attempt to bleed us dry. So I threatened Ronald with divorce if he didn’t stop treating Lindsay as he would a mistress and had him hand over the registry. I guess the certain knowledge that it would be cheaper to keep me, rather than continue to supply that grown child with ready funds finally hit home with him. After all, a wife would certainly know more about the family coffers than a mere slip of a harridan. 

“I think you should go on and write that check to Justin now, but make it out for three-hundred thousand instead of the asked for amount,” I advise.

“What?!” Ron gasped. “Why would I do that?!”

“Honestly, we don’t know how much more trouble Lindsay has wrapped you up in. It doesn’t even have to be regarding Justin’s new contract, or Brian specifically; just that I’m sure that she didn’t stop at calling the Prince twins. I don’t know, Ron. Call it a feeling, or whatever. But I know that if it were me, and I was intent on making someone’s life miserable in more ways than one, I certainly wouldn’t have just stopped at removing them from my orbit. I would have a line of unfortunate circumstances lined up for them.”

“But Lindsay isn’t you, Nancy.”

“No, she isn’t, nor could she ever be. But it doesn’t stop her from trying, Ronald. So, that said, write the check and I will drop it off on the way to go see her.”

“Fine, but I’m coming with you to see her, Nancy.”

“No, you aren’t.” At his protest, I held up my hand. “No. And that’s my final word on it, Ronald. When it comes to Lindsay, you have no willpower. She can’t pull the same games on me that she does on you, but having you there will lessen the effect of what I have to tell her. She never understood that when crossing the bridge into power, there is a toll that has to be paid.”

“What are you talking about, now?” Ron whined, and I just wanted to smack him back to sense. Instead, I huffed out a response.

“Ronald, this is a woman’s conversation, but I will let you in on this one thing: like in business, your foothold is only as strong as your closest allies. In this case, Lindsay’s foothold into Brian’s life is broken because she chose the wrong one. Michael Novotny is probably one of the most ineffectual human beings to ever walk the face of the earth, no matter that he has some use as a glorified gopher. So now she’s stuck playing catch-up when she could have been so much further along in her quest.”

“To be Brian’s wife?” Ron asks, clearly almost out of patience.

“No. To be independent! Only in Lindsay’s case, she wants it through someone else, instead of working hard to get it on her own. THAT is the major difference between Justin and Lindsay. And guess what, Ronald… it extends to Justin’s best friend, Daphne Chanders, who is equally determined to forge her own path based on her own methods, rather than using anyone else’s connections. Did you know that with the help of Lynette, Daphne has managed to acquire some very wealthy acquaintances of her own?”

“If that’s the case, then why wasn’t Lynette willing to help Lindsay?!”

“Again, Ronald, it’s about surrounding yourself with like-minded people! God, will you never get it? Daphne can work in whatever field she wants to because of those connections. Like Justin, she isn’t afraid to go out and find the information she needs in order to write her own ticket to wealth. Unlike Lindsay, she’s not waiting for her parents to die in order to blow through her inheritance, or looking to marry into money, which is something in common that Lindsay shares with Michael Novotny. No, instead, Daphne believes wholeheartedly in being equal or better than her male counterparts. And she’s not using those connections as benefactors either, which is something Lindsay would do if anyone, besides you, could tolerate her for more than a few minutes at a time. Young Daphne is smart, capable, and... just everything that Lynette is but Linsday is NOT.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“To once again deter you from helping Lindsay in any way once this plan is set in motion.” I take a deep breath before continuing. “Ronald, I want you to understand me, and comprehend me well… If you think that writing a check to Justin for your slip-up is bad, then cross Justin again and watch what happens when his best friend gets wind of it. Between Justin and Daphne, you will not only be ruined, but they will look so innocent while sending you to the poorhouse that there won’t be a way for you to recover financially no matter how hard you work. Is helping Lindsay to fail- because she WILL, no matter how long it takes- really worth losing all that you have worked and sacrificed for all these years?”

I think I finally got through to him, since after he hands me the checks he advises me, “Do whatever you have to do to get her to agree, Nancy. And please tell her that this is the very last time she will cost me.”

“Darling, I know this is hurting you, but trust me. We’re doing the right thing by handing her off to John Cartwright. He will be able to do what you were too soft-hearted to do for her.”

“And that is?”

“Make Lindsay grow up at long last. In the meantime, Jennifer called to advise that all of Lindsay’s belongings will arrive sometime today. I’ve ordered that they be put in the shed at the far end of the property, and have already given Jennifer the code to get in there. After speaking with her, she agrees that the last thing we needed was to have a public scandal on our hands if what we propose to Cartwright is going to work.”

Once again, I think he finally got the message as he nods silently, still sitting at my desk. I collect the checks and head off to run my errands before going to see the bane that my uterus housed at one time. It will be my pleasure seeing her to advise that the money train has been derailed and demolished completely, never to be restarted again. But even more important will be to tell her that at long last, she’s about to marry a wealthy man… and then tell her just who that man is. 

I can’t help the chuckle bubbling up inside me at the thought of giving Lindsay just what she’s always wanted but just not the way she wanted it. Oh, the tears and tantrums that are going to abound! But I have every faith that John will be able to handle it, and if he has to take a firm hand to correct it… Well, that’s not mine and Ronald business how he decides to turn the harridan into a docile heifer. I laugh aloud within the confines of my car at that thought.

Thanks Jennifer for the idea! 

MICHAEL:

It's a good thing I went to the bank before I boarded the plane. Hopefully, David will be so happy to see me that he’ll have no problem reimbursing me for this as well as all the other money I’ve shelled out within the last few days. I mean, it’s only fair since he sent me back to Pittsburgh in the first place. To that end, he’s just as responsible about the state of my financial affairs as Brian and his Boy Ass. I had plans for that money; he needs to replace it!

As I arrived at the house, it looked a little off. I thought about instructing the cab driver to wait, but… Well, I’m sure that once David sees that I’ve come home, we can get on with our lives and I can begin to reformulate my plans undetected. See, I understand where I went wrong now. I included Lindsay in them when the rule of thumb is if you want to fly under the radar, you do it alone.

I wish I had thought about that before I went to her for help; Brian and Justin wouldn’t have had a chance to close ranks if I did. Now, Boy Wonder has stolen my support system with the exception of Ma and Lindsay, even though I doubt the latter can still be counted. Speaking of which, I really wonder what she did that was so bad that even Brian has withdrawn his support from her. I mean, if he wouldn’t have found out what Lindsay and I did, then she pulled whatever shit she did, I could have had Brian all to myself again. I spent years trying to find a way to get rid of her, but she fucks up and it happens as easy as one, two, three?

If this had happened sooner, I probably would have been dancing naked in the streets in joy at finally having gotten the bitch away from Brian. Instead, I’m here in Portland, trying to convince my gullible lover that I really want him enough to leave Brian alone. Well, I’ve been acting for a long time now, so getting David to believe me shouldn’t be too difficult. Honestly, I’m more worried about Hank in this situation. I pfft. 

Hank has no say in this really. He’s just a kid. I mean, it’s grown folks’ business and he needs to remember a child’s place. It’s times like this I really wish that Ma was here so that she could redirect the little bastard, and correct him as only she could. Granted, it didn’t work on me, but her brand of chastisement has always worked on everyone else.

Well here goes nothing….

I paste a look of abject remorse on my face as I make my way up the driveway, leading to the cobblestone walkway. I remember the way David almost yelled at me for thinking to take the shorter way to the door through the grass, and for a moment, it had me rethinking my purpose in being here. He said that the gardeners had spent hours cultivating the grass so that it would grow healthy and we needed to respect that. I had just smiled, nodded and looked contrite while thinking all they did was play in the fucking dirt all day. But I’d kept quiet and adhered to his wishes so that Brian would have enough time to miss me, and ask me to join him in New York. 

Talk about plans backfiring!! Well it’s up to me to make sure that this one doesn’t. Reaching out to ring the doorbell- still a little pissed off that upon leaving, David made sure to collect MY key- I stood there and waited for him to answer the door. After thirty seconds of no David, I leaned on the bell, just knowing that he was ignoring me. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a way to prove it since he usually parked the car in the garage when he was home. 

Time marched on, and still no one answered the fucking door. So David wants to play this game, huh? Well, I’ll just sit here and wait him out. He can’t stay in the house forever, now can he? While getting comfortable- well as comfy as one can be while sitting on fucking concrete- I watched some of the neighbors walking by with their mutts. 

I couldn’t help but think of all the ways I would scold David for making me appear homeless while he was sitting in the house comfortably. I mean, the nerve of him! I understand he’s upset, but he should be over it by now. What’s done is done, and yeah, I’m still pissed off at myself for depending on Lindsay, but damn! This continued radio silence is absolutely ridiculous!

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I know, the sun is shining right into my closed eyes as it sets behind the house directly across the street. But more important is the annoying sound coming directly to the left of me. It’s a sound that I’d unfortunately become accustomed to in the months since I’d moved here. Narrowing my eyes before rolling them, I get to my feet and turn towards the still-closed door. I had to steady myself a little as my legs are as numb as my balls feel from having been sitting on the fucking steps as long as I must have been.

DAVID-D-D-DDDD!” I yelled, ignoring the outright laughter, coming from the other side of the fence. “Shut the hell up, Franklin*, and go back inside. I don’t need an unwanted audience.”

Ignoring my demand for him to go away, he says, “Dude, this street isn’t named ‘Desire’ and you’re surely no Marlon Brando. Hell, you’d have to grow a few inches, lift something other than your voice, and have a face transplant for even the slightest of comparisons. But we’re getting off track here... My advice: get a life before you find yourself inside of a jail cell. It’s obvious that you’re not used to this type of neighborhood, and quite frankly, it always has been. Why don’t you just go home, wherever that is? Intentional homelessness strictly for attention is frowned upon around here.”

“Why don’t you mind your own fucking business?!”

“Why don’t you realize that you’re sitting like a squatter at an empty house? But then again, you’ve always been totally oblivious to the obvious, haven’t you, Novotny?” 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I yell through gritted teeth. Damn! Ever since the first time David introduced me to him, Joe Ferragano- who I call Franklin intentionally since he's some kind of hot shit masseur or so David said- has always rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t know how he and David had become such good friends, regardless of how much I’d tried to discourage it.

“It means that you don’t fit in here. In fact, I’m not sure that you fit in anywhere, except maybe the local zoo, or maybe a jail cell. We’ve been taking bets on what you did to have been able to land a man like David, and we haven’t been able to come up with anything.”

“That’s because I didn’t do anything!”

“Well that much was obvious since a sloth is actually more active than you are. Truthfully, you seem to have a lot in common with a sloth.”

“What the fuck are you rambling about now?” I ask, losing what little patience I had to begin with. David certainly will have a lot to answer for when I catch up with him!

“Only that not only are you lazy as hell, but you are also half-blind and half-deaf. But unlike the animal, your sight and hearing is purely selective, which is part of the reason we all are so glad that David had finally decided to get rid of you. You only hear and see what you want to see, and it must match with the misguided notion you have that you are some sort of catch for successful men.”

“I landed David!”

“And you were also thrown out by David,” he retorts, quickly. “See a pattern here?”

I couldn’t help but think of all that the little bitch, Daphne, had insinuated about why Brian chose Justin over me, and I just find myself getting more and more frustrated and angry! “FUCK YOU!” I yell at the asshole, who has now broken out laughing loudly again.

“Not even if I needed to borrow your dick to pee with.” He brings the laugh down to a snicker before saying, “Go home, Novotny, wherever that cursed place is. Because I promise that as soon as I enter my house, I will be putting in a call to the local authorities to let them know you are trespassing onto private property. Oh and by the way, David and Hank have moved, and they have moved on from you. And I think I can speak for the entire neighborhood when I say, good fucking riddance to bad rubbish. For the person in the cheap seat and the comic t-shirt, that would be YOU, Novotny. Now you have until I reach my front door to get the hell out of here before you have more than intentional homelessness to worry about.”

I want to argue with him in the worst way, but Joe just turns on his heel and begins heading towards the entrance to his house. Unfortunately, he’s as tall as David and Brian, which means that he can cover ground quickly, especially when he is fulfilling a purpose. I know that I need to think quickly about where to go, considering that I know there aren’t any more flights tonight. Taking out my cell phone, and taking a quick glance at it, I want to scream my head off! In all my haste to get back here and catch David at home, I didn’t realize that my phone wasn’t at full battery. 

It’s not like I was able to charge it while I was sitting in a fucking holding cell last night, and I just didn’t have time when I was released. Fuck! So now instead of being able to call a cab, or at least call Lori to find out what the fuck is really going on with David, I’m stuck having to actually walk or hitchhike back to the fucking airport! No way do I believe Asshole Joe that David had moved somewhere this fast. I haven’t even been gone that long, so how could he just up and move so soon? 

Resigning myself to begin the almost ten mile trek back to the airport, I think, This day is just all kinds of for shit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The reference to 'Franklin' is pertaining to the manufacturers of the most popular brand of massage balls, and other sporting goods, including products used in sports medicine.


	7. CHAPTER SEVEN: RULE NUMBER TWO OF BEING AN ADULT: DON’T PLAY PLUG IF YOU’RE UNPREPARED TO BECOME THE SOCKET A TIME OR TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introduction of 2 new characters here... Oh, and remember how I personally do flashbacks! 
> 
> HAPPY READING, Darlings!

CHAPTER SEVEN: RULE NUMBER TWO OF BEING AN ADULT: DON’T PLAY PLUG IF YOU’RE UNPREPARED TO BECOME THE SOCKET A TIME OR TWO

JULIAN:

“Oh to be a fly on the wall for the screech and whine sessions going on within the Peterson residence right now!” I say aloud, as I drive away blasting ‘Bodak Yellow’ by Cardi B. 

I can’t help the bubble of laughter which escapes me as I continue to slowly drive out of the affluent neighborhood. I know that I’m incurring looks from the residents of the neighborhood- one, because of the volume of my music, and two, because of the car itself. But I don’t give a fuck. To these narrow minded bigots, someone of my breeding shouldn’t drive a muscle car, or listen to rap music, especially with explicit lyrics. But fuck them!

See, that’s really why my dad requested that I be Justin’s attorney and personal assistant. Like him and Brian, I’ve always chosen which rules of society I adhere to, and the rest I’m able to turn on and off at will. With Stephanie watching Justin’s back within the new office of DPAA, that will leave me free to deal with all things concerning his personal life. I promised my father that I wouldn’t let Justin burn himself out, and I’ll do that. But most importantly, my job will be to protect Justin and Brian’s interests by cutting people who try to come against them too short to shit, not enough to piss, and then shoot them dead for stinking. 

Basically, it means, I get to let my inner-bitch come out to live, and not just to play occasionally. The reason why I became bored with prepping for trials and the like is because I live for the details, and for the thrill of not even letting a situation go to court. Presenting the facts in front of a judge is one thing, but the best feeling is when you know you have the upperhand and there’s nothing your opponent can do about it. It’s why I was incredibly fascinated, and then ultimately proud of Mel for winning against Morton Spitzer. Assholes like that need to be shown all they stand to lose before getting to court, and then if they don’t have the good sense to bow out, you annihilate them. 

It’s what’s going to make my next appointment that much more gratifying. Pulling into the garage of Ryder-Vanguard Advertising, I get a thrill knowing that the two men in the building are about to choke on their tongues upon seeing me again. Not too long ago, I applied for a job at Vanguard, thinking I’d move to Chicago for a new start. I’d just broken it off with my male lover, Tyson, and his sister, Erica, was beginning to get way too territorial and clingy for my liking. Before you ask, yes, I was with them both and they knew it. 

They were into it, so as far as I’m concerned, I was doing their parents a favor by cutting down on the sibling rivalry. My only stipulation to the arrangement was that they respect my space and realize that my career was important to me. At first, they were all for it since they were trying to make their own names within their chosen fields, Ty within the corporate sector, and Erica as an associate buyer for a well-known retail chain. We’d split date nights up to accomodate all three schedules, making the rule that unless there was a bonafide family emergency whomever I was with had my full attention. And things were working out fine, until Ty had broken it.

My first indication that he was about to act like a little preteen about things should have been the way he would drape himself all over his best friend whenever he just appeared wherever Ty and I were hanging out. The funny thing about John Cartwright, the best friend, is that we all know Ty would have never been able to survive a relationship with the man who is around the same age as Brian. Heir to a sizable fortune, Cartwright is one of the most controlling men I’d ever met. If the truth be told, he’s not even Ty’s best friend; just a family friend who agreed to take Ty under his wing and protect him from himself. Ty is a free spirit, which can sometimes land him in situations that he can’t get out of.

Anyway, the second indication that things were about to go south real fast was the night he arrived at my apartment with bruises all over him. Now of course my first inclination was to call the police and get someone over to take his statement so he could press charges. Erica, who was just waking up from being fucked to within an inch of her life, came out of the room looking as unaffected by the scene unfolding as I’d ever seen her. In fact, in the most chilling voice I’d ever heard her use, she asked if what he’d planned was working. When I looked between the both of them, it became all too clear that Ty had intentionally gone somewhere and gotten himself worked over real good as a way to test my loyalty to him.

I kicked them both out of my apartment that night and refused to speak to either of them for three weeks. It was my hope that within that time they would realize how ridiculous they were being. Yeah, the world is still waiting until that happens. Anyway, during the time of radio silence, Cartwright came to see me. He explained just what happened that night, and I couldn’t help but get angrier with each word he uttered. 

“Have you ever wondered why I’ve never taken Ty to my bed?”

“Other than the fact that I thought you were straight?”

“Everyone believes that I’m straight, and I intend to keep it that way until the man I can’t fully live without is ready to be mine in ALL the ways I need him to be. But that’s not what I asked you.” Cartwright told me, causing me to sit up a little straighter. There’s always been an attraction there; one which I’d always suppressed because I just thought there wasn’t any way to act upon them. So him and I talking right then let me know then that when and if I was ever ready, he was too. But instead of voicing that thought aloud, he continued, “The reason why I would NEVER take Tyson to my bed is because he’s too immature in all the ways that matter.”

“And yet you’re friends with him.”

“I care about him, as a fellow human being, but as for any deeper feelings, no. I agreed to keep an eye on him for that reason alone. And honestly, their parents have enough to worry about without having to deal with another of Ty’s follies.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Cartwright shook his head at my question, before saying, “Nothing that I can tell you myself, since it’s their story to tell. Suffice it to say that Ty needs a handler, not a partner. The same goes for Erica, although she’s a bit better off. Whereas he’s overly-emotional in all facets, she doesn’t seem to have any beyond greed and lust. My advice is to get out now, while you still have your own sanity.”

I took his words to heart, but couldn’t resist asking, “And you? What are you going to do?”

He smiled at me then. I couldn’t help but suppress the gasp that almost escaped me at seeing the genuine smile which graced his full lips just then. “Hold on for the ride… and the news that both of them are not going to inherit their parents’ fortunes. Those are going to go to me as payment for services rendered, since I’ve been considered their glorified babysitter for a long time now. Sure, they will receive a portion of the estate, but the businesses will be absorbed into my own upon Jefferson’s request. But I hope that’s not going to happen for a long time to come. Tyson, Senior, and Dorthea are great people; the world would become a much dimmer place without them. But in the meantime, I have more pressing matters to attend to.”

“Such as?”

“Waiting for you to grow up a bit more before I make some moves of my own.”

We parted ways then, but the thought and his parting words, stayed in my mind for a long time afterwards. At the time I applied at Vanguard for a job, I thought the best way to extricate myself from Ty and Erica Jefferson was to move out of state as soon as possible. But once I met Vance, I realized that even as he was denying me a job working for him, it just meant that my life wasn’t heading in that direction. Same went for Ryder, when I’d decided to stay in Pittsburgh. Both of them had cited my lack of experience when dealing with contracts as the reason, but I knew it was bullshit. 

It was because both of them knew just what family I came from, and just who my own father worked for. Well, it’s a mistake they are both about to reap in ways they couldn’t possibly have imagined, since I’m here in the official capacity as the Taylor-Kinneys’ secondary attorney. I’m almost tempted to squeal and clap my hands in anticipation of the looks on their faces when they realize it. Walking into the building, I ask the receptionist to see Stephanie Pierce first since I know she’s working out her two weeks alongside her husband, Murphy, who will be the Assistant Art Director within DPAA, before making the move to California permanently. She smiles wide the moment she lays eyes on me.

I smile back and say, “I suppose you were expecting me?”

“They’ve been up there squawking at each other for the last twenty minutes. Peterson called to advise them that you were coming. So your arrival was fortuitous, since I can honestly claim that I wasn’t at my desk to tell you they weren’t available.”

“And this is what they get for underestimating you as well as me,” I laugh, as we head to the elevator.

“Marty always has, but to find out that Gardner Vance is the same type of man just makes me boil inside. It’s why I’m willing to follow Brian to Cali.”

“And Justin?”

“I talked to my husband, and got the real scoop on that young man. Finding out that he was half of the creative genius behind the Liberty Air ads was one thing. But, to have confirmation of just how talented that young man is has been incredibly eye-opening. I own pieces that he redesigned and didn’t even realize it since Murph had bought them for me as gifts. It wasn’t until he showed me what Justin had done with the heirloom desk that my mother left me upon her death that I really understood just who I’ll be working for. The painting of my great-grandparents, then my grandparents, and of my parents now gracing the top surface of the desk is as clear as the original photographs of them. I can’t even imagine how many hours he worked to do those paintings,” she tells me, so obviously suppressing tears as she speaks about them.

“Justin is definitely going to go far in all of his businesses. He’s passionate, and he’s hungry for success just as Brian is. It makes me anxious to see what they are going to do next.”

“And just think, you’re going to have a front row seat as Justin’s attorney and personal assistant…”

“So will you, even though you’ll be working mostly within the confines of the office. Trust me, there’s no way you’ll be stuck within your career as you would be if you remained here. I mean, look at where Cynthia is now as opposed to when she first started.”

“That’s true. As Brian climbed, so did Cyn.”

“And it’s not going to be any different for you and Murph. If there’s one thing I’m learning about the Taylor-Kinneys, it’s that if they trust you, they trust you. And that means no matter who else they may bring into their inner circle, your position within their lives will never be threatened. All you can do is listen and learn from them, while making sure their professional and personal lives work. It’s something my father pointed out to me back when he first started working for Brian.”

“I’ve always wondered how he had time to party as hard as he does, and yet come in here and work like there’s no tomorrow. Now I know his secret.”

I laugh. “And believe it or not, Justin is the same way. So it’s going to be up to us to make sure that he doesn’t get too into his head that he doesn’t remember he has a husband who’s waiting for him at the end of his long days.”

“Forget Brian? In what world?” she gasps out, honestly not seeing how it’s possible. And I would probably have had the same reaction if I didn’t have the longest professional conversation of my life with my father.

“Believe it or not, it’s entirely possible since our boss shares the same type of work ethic Brian has. It doesn’t matter that he’s younger in age. Justin Taylor-Kinney has that same kind of determination; that same fire that Brian has to be successful. Perhaps it’s because of his father’s idiocy in thinking that Justin was his clone instead of his own person, but Justin’s been settling into his definition of success since ninth grade. There aren’t many adults who can say that about themselves, even if they’ve spent their entire lives trying to achieve a modicum of the power they think they have. And that especially goes for the two men within that office.”

Stephanie and I alight from the confines of the elevator, hearing the loud argument still occuring within the office. Vance is still berating Ryder for handing over those checks to Brian and Justin in light of their new positions.

“You should have withheld them! We could afford to have waited for them to take us to court, Marty!” Vance yells.

“They may have been able to wait us out, but not the other way around, Vance. Can’t you see that?! We’re already hemorrhaging clients! Adding the expense of an extensive hearing wouldn’t have been within the best interests of the company! You don’t think they came in here with a plan already mapped out on how to force our fucking hands?! Makes me wonder which of the two factions- us or them- was the more naive and arrogant during that accursed meeting.” Ryder responds, and all I can do is laugh since it appears that whereas Vance has been more successful within the advertising business, Martin Ryder is more knowledgeable about Brian and Justin Taylor-Kinney.

“We had the upper hand!”

“NO WE DID NOT!!” Marty thunders back, before lowering his voice. “Either way, Brian would have left and young Taylor would have followed through on all he’s threatened. I took the liberty of doing some research on him once they left the office. Do you know what’s going on in reference to Taylor Electronics?”

“No,” Vance states, while nabbing up the sheaf of papers Marty just forcefully placed in front of him. “What’s happened?”

“That account was just pulled from us within the last two hours, and do you know why? Because Justin Taylor-Kinney is actually the owner of the company.”

“Bullshit. Craig Taylor is.”

“Wrong! The company was put into Justin’s name some time ago to cover some bullshit Craig had going on.”

“But…”

Just as I’m about to go into the office to break up their ensuing pity party, my phone buzzes within my jacket's inside pocket. At first, I’m puzzled about how HE got my personal number. In fact, the last time he and I saw each other, he left me before I could give it to him. ‘When I want you, and feel you are ready for me, I’ll find you’ were the final words he whispered to me, before leaving the restaurant I was having a solitary lunch in. I can’t help the sudden jump in my heartrate wondering if he felt it was time to make those moves he mentioned now. 

Shaking my head, I realize that’s ridiculous considering the new position I just acquired. I’m almost sure he would have heard about it, even if it’s just been finalized a few hours ago. So without further delay, I slide the green button over on the touchscreen to accept the call. “Good Afternoon, John. What can I do you for?”

Both he and I chuckle, before he answers. “Free, but we’ll talk about that later.” 

“Okay, but just a word of advice…”

“Which is?”

“Don’t sell yourself so cheap. I’m known to put a man through his paces quite vigorously.”

“Hmm… I will give that some thought,” he advises seductively, and I can’t stop the tremble that races through me. 

Reining my suddenly-galloping libido in, I ask, “What’s up?”

“How fast can you get a prenup agreement and an iron-clad contract drawn up for me?”

What the fuck?!

JOHN 

I know I have stunned him by the stilting of his breath over the phone. I also know that he’s about to have a million questions that I can’t answer right this moment due to the woman sitting across the office while I complete this call. But my first order of business is to reassure him that this situation isn’t going to be the way, or for the reasons, he’s thinking.

“You still there?” I ask, already knowing that he is.

“I am,” Julian says softly, the sound caressing my nerve endings as if he’s here with me.

“Good. First, let me assure you that this is strictly a business arrangement with a definitive cut off date, although the woman I’m marrying won’t be aware of it.”

“What the hell does that mean exactly?”

“Just what I said. I’m doing this as a favor to her parents for several reasons, but mainly to break the bitch.”

“Well who is it?”

“Lindsay Peterson.”

“John, what the fuck?! Do you know what you’re doing?”

I almost want to bristle at his question, but I know by the tone of his voice his inquiry was out of concern. “I do. I take it you know what she’s trying to do.”

“In reference to my new boss and his husband…”

“Husband?”

I can hear the smile in his voice when he confirms it. “Yeah. Justin married Brian while they were away. I’m sure there is a major story there, but for now, they are putting it out that it was spur of the moment and they are going to stay together.”

“That’s good, and it makes what Nancy is asking me to do even more prevalent. Lindsay needs a bit of redirection…”

“And Nancy thought you would be the perfect person to do it?”

“Who else? Besides, you know how I feel about doing charitable works…”

“Well, it would appear that Lindsay certainly qualifies, but marriage?”

“It’s the only way to make a lasting impression on her, otherwise she will think this is all a game. It helps that I’m everything she thinks she would have been getting if Brian was a weaker man and had agreed to bow to her wishes. In this case, Nancy wants her to learn some very hard lessons about self-reliance and the like. So who better to teach her than a husband?”

I hear his sigh of resignation over the phone and all I want to do is touch him. For months now, I have been keeping my hands- and other more prominent parts- to myself where he’s concerned. I find Julian Gabriel desirable in every way imaginable. The funny thing is that I haven’t even kissed him yet, I swear I already know what he tastes like. But more telling than anything is that as much as I want to control everything in my life, he’s the exception. 

No. Instead I want to see him untamed in ALL the ways that matter.

But I can’t tell him that right now. I need him to draw up these contracts for me, knowing that he’s going to be as harsh as he can be simply because he isn’t going to like this. Yes, in this case, I’m not above using his emotions against him if the end result is that Lindsay Peterson is contained fully. Besides, with me front and center in her life, she won’t have time to cause trouble for Brian and Justin. I smile as his voice comes through the phone again.

“How soon do you need them, and how long do you want the terms in effect for?” he asks me, once again sounding resigned to it, even if he doesn’t agree with any of this.

“A period of a year, three months of which she will spend in rehab. I want that in writing, along with the fact that until she finds her own job, I’ll provide her with one-hundred and fifty-five dollars bi-weekly as an allowance until she finds gainful employment. I want it clear that I’m not going to be financially supporting a grown woman, so it would behoove her to find a full-time job with benefits in order for her avaricious nature to be soothed. As for the other terms and agreements, I’ll let you set them.”

“Me?” he asks, surprised.

“Sure, since I know that you will think of every possible avenue Lindsay is apt to try, especially in terms of your new client. I’m also sure that you will factor Brian and his son into the equation as well. Plus...”

I hear the slight hitch in his breath at the mention of my last word. “Plus? There’s more?”

I smile, letting my pleasure at him doing this shine through my voice. “Plus, I want to start as I mean to go on with you once this is over. I know that you will look out for OUR best interests while you are drawing up those contracts.” And there’s that slight hiccup again. God, I just want to kiss the breath out of him!

Julian clears his throat before responding, “Okay. Just let me hand off these court orders to Ryder and Vance for breach of contract, and I’ll have them to you within the hour. I take it Nancy is either there or on her way to you?”

“How did you know it was Nancy that requested this of me?”

Julian laughs then. “Between the Petersons, Ronald is the one without a backbone. I imagine, however, that Nancy has just reached her breaking point where Lindsay is concerned. We’ve all watched for years the way Lindsay’s been able to run Ronald ragged, catering to her at the expense of his marriage, even before she started trying to employ the same tricks with Brian. Nancy must be thinking that it’s time to teach Lindsay that there is only ONE Mrs. Peterson, and it isn’t her.”

I realize that he understands all of this, but I still have to know… “Are you okay with doing this? It’s a lot to ask of you, especially since...”

He’s silent for a few moments after I let my words trail off. His voice is quiet, though his words are no less potent. “I know what you want, John. And yes, I want it, too. So there are two ways we can do this.”

“And they are?”

“We already know this marriage you’re entering isn’t going to last forever. And whereas you may have to fuck Lindsay, it’s only going to be to solidify your marriage the first time, and just to scratch an itch any time afterwards…”

“True, but what are you saying?”

“That while you are doing this, I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing.”

“And what is that?” I can’t help the little shiver of dread I feel in the pit of my stomach at where my mind just took me.

His deep chuckle reaches through the phone to soothe the sudden ache in my heart. “Calm down, John. You and I both know that I’ll be incredibly busy getting settled in my new role as Justin’s attorney and p.a. But while you are dealing with setting the Petersons’ world to rights, we can still… date in a sense.”

“Date?”

I can see him shrug, even though he’s not within the same room with me. “Yes. We can get to know each other, beyond the lust both of us feel whenever we’re in the same room together. All I ask is that the witch is nowhere around when we’re talking or emailing… I don’t want us to have to watch whatever it is we converse about for fear that she’ll come across some information she can use against Justin in her continued quest for Brian. And if there’s a way to vid-chat a time or two…”

He lets that particular innuendo hang in the air, and once again I feel myself harden. I suck in a sharp breath as my mind starts bringing up image after image of all the things I can ask him to do as I act the voyeur through a monitor. I’m shaken out of my reverie due to the subtle throat-clearing going on across the room. I look back to meet the amused eyes of Nancy Peterson, before turning back to look out the big bay window overlooking my property. Clearing my throat, I decide to bring the conversation to a close.

“Yes, well we will definitely discuss that idea later.”

“Count on it.”

“I will. In the meantime, email me when you have the contracts done, okay?”

“No problem, and don’t worry. You’ll like the terms I come up with.”

“I know,” I say, and then hang up before I say everything I’m thinking in reference to that sexy ass Julian Gabriel at the moment.

“You’re in love with him,” comes the matter-of-fact voice of Nancy Peterson.

I don’t bother to deny it… but nor do I confirm it either. “So as you’ve undoubtedly overheard, the contracts will be back to me within an hour of Julian delivering the papers to VRA. What is Ron going to do?”

She smiles at my not-so-subtle change in subject, before answering my question. “Well, to begin with, at my urging, I have the check for Justin Taylor-Kinney. In fact, I told him to include a little more, not knowing who else Lindsay may have enlisted in her quest to be the Queen Bee. You know, you should have Mr. Gabriel include an out clause within that contract, in case this gets to be too much for either of you. I remember what it was like to be in love and how hard it is to nurture to full bloom.”

“I take it you’re not talking about Ronald?” I ask, seeing the wistful look on her face.

“No. Although I’ve grown extremely fond of him over the years, the love of my life was snatched away from me unexpectedly in favor of family loyalty many years ago. But in retrospect, it was for the best, since there’s no way I could’ve gone where he did at the time. Last I heard, he was still working as a U.S. Diplomat in Dubai. According to my sources, he married one of the local women, and they have been happy for many years now.” She lowers her eyes for a moment as if lost in a particularly painful memory, before lifting her eyes to meet mine again. “A word of advice if I may, John…”

“You can speak freely, Nancy. Regardless of what the business arrangement is between us, I think we’ve earned the right to speak our minds within this office.”

“Good. Well, my advice is that you don’t wait too long to let that young man know where you stand with him, especially not in favor of my fickle daughter. If you run the risk of losing him, break the contract. I’ll make sure it’s still financially honored, since as far as I’m concerned, any time you spend in Lindsay’s company should be compensated in the millions.”

“Jesus, Nancy. That’s kind of harsh to say about your own daughter, don’t you think?”

She shakes her head at me in response. “If it were anyone else, I might reconsider, but not Lindsay. No, I’m not a saint, John; you of all people know that. But even when I’m at my bitchiest, I would never have pulled the crap Lindsay has in reference to Justin. That young man already had enough against him, where if he wasn’t born with the advantages this set offers, could have ultimately destroyed him. And regardless that he’s more of an adult than she is, his age under the law STILL should have been a deterrent to her and her little minion. Lindsay doesn’t fight fair. She’s an opportunistic, manipulative little heifer, and it’s time that I stop her. However, I’m not willing to risk your happiness in order for that to happen. I’ll always have some tender feelings for you, you know?”

“I know, and I thank you for them even if they have to stay hidden between us for obvious reasons. It’s better that Ronald never find out why that is, and it serves both of our purposes right now in reference to Lindsay. No one needs to know that she was the real reason for the murder-suicide of my parents.” 

Nancy is only one of three people who know that it was Lindsay’s suggestion that my father was cheating which caused my mother to kill both him and herself. It still hurts, but I’ve come to accept why it happened, and ultimately forgive my mother for believing Lindsay’s lies. We can all thank Alex Wilder for that, since he knew and told me that the woman my father was actually seeing was a psychiatrist friend of theirs, and only to figure out how to tell Mom that he was sick with stage four prostate cancer. In retrospect, I guess I can understand why he didn’t tell her right away. My parents really did love each other madly, and him telling her of the cancer would have exacerbated her already-irrational fears that she was going to lose him the same way her father died.

“He wouldn’t have wanted to cause Mom undue stress, even though technology was a lot more advanced now than it was when her father was diagnosed,” I repeat what Dr. Mercer had told me the day of the funeral almost to myself, while addressing Nancy.

“That’s true, but it still didn’t give Lindsay the right to misinterpret the hug she saw the two of them share and then play a botched game of Run and Tell That to your mother. She was just being the malicious cunt that she is!”

“Nancy! Language,” I scold, even though I agree with her wholeheartedly. “I understand the sentiment, which is why I’m willing to do this for you.”

“And your fee for putting up with her of course.” She smiles at me, knowingly.

“Yes, well, there is that. But honestly, the chance to make the bitch miserable is just too tempting to pass up.”

“Now who should be scolded for their description of my daughter?” She laughs, and I join her.

“Touche, my dear. I guess sometimes there just isn’t any better way to describe the unseemly attributes of a person.”

“Trust me when I say you will think of more by the time this is all over,” she says, before adding, “I meant what I said, John. If at any time this arrangement becomes too much for either you or Julian…”

“I know, Nancy, I know. But if and when that happens, you’ll be the first to know. Now there are a couple of things I need from you prior to signing the contracts.”

“Which are?”

“First, I need you to acquire Lindsay’s cellphone.”

“That’s an interesting request.”

I nod. “I know, but I want a chip put in it and a tracking app downloaded. If I’m going to do this, I want to leave no stone unturned where she’s concerned.”

“But you do realize she could just opt to use another phone to make her calls from?”

“Of course, which is why the tracking app also works as a voice recorder, in addition to copying her address book.”

“Ah, I think I see where you’re going with this.”

“We both know that the first call she’s bound to make is to Novotny, or someone associated with the little turd.”

“Not Brian?”

“Not at first, especially since he hasn’t been answering her even before she hurt her son and ex-girlfriend. I doubt very seriously that he’s going to start answering her pleas and cries now. In fact, if we’re being completely honest, if I were Kinney in this, she would do well to stay as far away from me as possible as well. Hurting an adult is one thing, but a child… yeah, it almost makes me want to look up steps on how to poison her.”

“But you won’t do that,” Nancy advises hurriedly.

I smile at her sudden anxiousness. “No, I won’t. Fortunately for the both of us, I think the plan we’ve come up with will be much more effective as a punishment rather than having Lindsay meet the devil before her time.”

She laughs again, and for the next hour, Nancy and I go over our plan to make Lindsay Peterson pay. Of course, she and I will have several more meetings over the coming months while Lindsay is in rehab, but for now the groundwork is coming along nicely.

JULIAN

“Joe Cabello is on his way up from the Legal department. He was in the meeting so I figured he should be here for this as well, should Vance and Ryder think to delay the inevitable.”

“Great thinking! Hopefully, his presence will cut off the tantrum and tiara portion of this meeting.”

“Everything else okay?” Stephanie asks me, as soon as I put my phone back into my jacket pocket.

“Yeah. Everything is fine. I just have to hurry this along so that I can draw up a couple of ironclad contracts for a friend of mine.”

“Sounds like he’s more than just a mere friend,” she says, looking at me out of the corner of her eye. I know she’s fishing for information, but I can’t stop the smile from forming on my lips.

“Not yet… but I’m hoping.”

“Fuck that!” she exclaims, before lowering her voice again. “If what I heard just from my end was hoping, you both need to make it a reality asap.”

“It’s a bit more complicated than what you heard.”

“All relationships are in some form or another. But a word of advice, Julian…”

“Yeah?”

“Take time to enjoy the ride… Oh yeah, and RIDE that bologna pony for all you’re worth.”

We both snicker, even as I feel the redness staining my cheeks. “That’s the plan, eventually.”

“Why eventually?” Stephanie wondered aloud before remembering the other part of the conversation. “And why were the two of you talking about Lindsay Peterson?”

“I… I can’t tell you all of it, but suffice it to say that we’re both doing what we can for now to protect Justin from her continued interference. Anything else that crops up, we’ll have to deal with on the backend.” Joe Cabello arrives on the floor, just as the voices within the office start to escalate again, I narrow my eyes and smile wolfishly, before saying, “Let’s go.”

Stephanie moved ahead of both me and Joe, and threw open the office door. Letting out a loud whistle, which immediately caught their attention, she said, “This is Julian Gabriel.”

“I thought we told you we weren’t to be distrubed, Stephanie,” Vance said between gritted teeth, while eyeing me suspiciously. 

“Yes, well, I thought we could ALL use a break from the constant bickering happening within this office,” she answered him, wryly.

Instead of responding to her right away, he then narrows his eyes at Mr. Cabello. “And what are you doing up here, Cabello? Our meeting isn’t until later this afternoon.”

I can tell that Cabello is about to take umbrage with the pompous asshole’s tone, but he remains professional when he answers. “True, but I was asked to be present for this meeting.”

Apparently, Stephanie had the same thought, because she offers, “Can I offer you something to drink, Mr. Gabriel?”

“No, thank you, Ms. Pierce. My business with these gentlemen should be concluded within a few moments,” I assure her, covering the smile that threatened to burst forth. “And please, call me Julian.”

“A pleasure to officially make your acquaintance, Julian. Feel free to call me Stephanie.” Again, I’m hard-pressed not to laugh. She is certainly well-versed at playing the ingenue.

“What are YOU doing here?” Marty asks. “Look if you’re still looking for a job…” 

“Oh, he tried to get a job here, too? Was this before or after we began talks for me to take over?” Vance asks, while keeping his eyes on me. The funny thing is, that even without the new position with Justin, I still wouldn’t be intimidated by the bald man. I suspect the fact that I’m not easily cowed is one of the real reasons I didn’t get hired within Vanguard, other than Brian being my father’s client.

I smile before answering Vance. “It was after. At the time I had come to Vanguard, I was looking to relocate. Ryder was a last resort.”

Marty bristled at my speech, and I was hard-pressed not to laugh at his mottled complexion. If there is one thing he should have expected of me it’s that I was going to be brutally honest and direct when answering. In fact, this very fact is not news to him, since I told him that I’d decided to stay in Pittsburgh until the right opportunity came along. And now it has, in the form of these two men’s worst nightmare within their profession. “If I’m such a last resort, then again, what the fuck are you doing here?!”

“I’m actually here to represent the interests of one of my clients.” At their puzzled expressions, I continue, while allowing a smug smile to grace my lips. Folding my lips in for a moment, I continue, “It has come to his attention that one of your associates- and therefore you as well- are in direct violation of the non-disclosure agreement, which was included in the contract for continued use of Justin Taylor-Kinney’s artwork that you signed.” 

I smile as the implications hit home with each man. New beads of sweat crop up on Vance’s already-shining head, as they do on the bridge of Martin Ryder’s nose. But of course, they have to make me spell it out. “We have no idea who or what you are talking about. We only associate with trustworthy people here at VRA,” Vance insists.

“Be that as it may, you and your associates were warned not to disclose any part of the contract verbally to anyone who was not within the meeting…”

“And yet you know,” Marty spat.

“But of course I do, since I’m one of the attorneys on record.” I lay my briefcase down on the long table behind the door, and unlock it before continuing. “I have to admit that I’m surprised that men such as yourself didn’t read all the way through the contract, especially where all the businesses represented were listed. If you had, there’s no way you could have missed my name directly under my client’s. The reason I wasn’t here personally is because I was researching another business interest for my client, which I believe you were arguing about around the time I arrived on this floor. You should probably reconsider trading personal insults within the office; kinda sends the wrong message to potential clients.”

I nearly laugh aloud at the deer-in-headlight looks flashing across both of their faces, before both of them turn their glares onto Stephanie. “I have to wonder where you were when he arrived, Ms. Pierce. Why weren’t we informed?” Vance sneers.

Stephanie drew herself up to her full height, her gaze unwavering as she replied, “You pay me to work, not listen to the two of you bicker as a wife and mistress would.”

I had to suppress the urge to cackle aloud at that well-delivered setdown, because honestly, that’s exactly how Ryder and Vance sounded. In truth, I’ve heard catfights more civil than what Stephanie and I were listening to before John called.

Clearing my throat to refocus their collective attention on me, I state, “Now, out of professional courtesy, I took the liberty of printing out a copy of the contract. I highlighted the NDA clause you both signed, along with the other gentlemen who were in the impromptu meeting and acted as witnesses. These are yours to keep since the originally signed contracts have already been filed with the courts. I’m sure that by now you have received the digital copies within your personal emails, as well as the one for the company.”

They snatch the papers from my hand, but I hand the same to Mr. Cabello, who has an imperceptible smirk gracing his full lips. I get the feeling that he’s happy this has happened to them. As I stand silently while they peruse the details of the contract, I see the exact moment when Ryder and Vance realize just how fucked up they are… again. Ron Peterson’s loose lips are going to cost them yet another hundred-and fifty grand payable to Justin Taylor-Kinney. 

“This shit is completely UNFAIR! We have no control over what our investment banker does in his spare time, nor whom he talks to!” Ryder advises. “I’m not paying for it!”

I was about to advise what would happen if he didn’t, but Mr. Cabello beat me to it. “Yes, you are.” When they both looked at him in puzzlement and anger, he continued. “It states here that although your associate breached the contract, you’re still held responsible because of whom he disclosed the information to. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the reason you both began talking about merging agencies in the first place because of Mr. Peterson’s daughter, Lindsay, and her connection to Brian Kinney?”

“I…” Ryder stutters.

“We…” Vance then begins, only to be cut off by Mr. Cabello.

“Don’t even bother lying to me because I was here for every in-person meeting and phone conference. And the fact is that you relied on Lindsay Peterson, and a person named Michael Novotny, to keep tabs on Mr. Kinney- sorry, I mean Mr. Brian TAYLOR-Kinney- and therefore his husband as well. That means you are just as accountable for Ronald Peterson being able to get any, and all information he was privy to within that meeting. 

“Basically, you’re being held responsible for taking the advice of the harridan in the first place. And might I just go on record stating that I advised both of you in advance what would happen in following her suggestions. You two arrogant idiots were being used to strike out at Brian in an effort to control the man in the ONE area where Lindsay Peterson had absolutely no influence with him. It wasn’t enough that she had his son, who incidentally she was also trying to use to make Brian dance to her tune. But then you two Bozos allowed her to spew her venom in your ear, either directly or using her other Cunty Clown to do it for her!”

“Joe…” Ryder begins again, only to be cut off again by the irate corporate attorney.

“So now your arrogantly-deaf ears are, once again, costing you more money. And it is all rightfully due and payable to the same young man, who stood within this office and laid out in plain english what would happen should Ron Peterson run his BIG FUCKING MOUTH TO HIS DAUGHTER!” He took a calming breath, before eyeing both men. “Cut the damn checks right now. I don’t care if each of you pay seventy-five grand out of your own pockets, or use the company funds, but you will do it right now. Because if you try to take this to court, not only will I resign as Lead Counsel, but I will act as a witness for Justin Taylor-Kinney. And so help me God, I will tell them of every freaky, sneaky, underhanded plan you two came up with that ultimately resulted in this tragedy of a merger.”

Well damn! I couldn’t have said it all better myself. 

Needless to say that we all left out of there with Justin’s check in hand. Once we were on the elevator heading away from the bickering brats within the CEO office, I offered Joe a job in case he became tired of trying to bail Ryder and Vance out of their own folly. He said that he would think seriously about it, because after years of dealing with Ryder, he was already sick of that Bald Bug-eyed Bastard; seems to be the general consensus when dealing with Gardner Vance. Stephanie and I looked at each other and snickered as we made our way out of the building to catch a late lunch, before I have concentrate fully on drawing up those contracts for John. Somehow, neither of us have the feeling we’ll have to wait too long to receive the answer from Cabello. Good!


	8. CHAPTER EIGHT: RULE NUMBER THREE OF BEING AN ADULT: REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED WITH COLD HARD CASH... AND MAYBE A LITTLE ADVICE.

CHAPTER EIGHT: RULE NUMBER THREE OF BEING AN ADULT: REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED WITH COLD HARD CASH... AND MAYBE A LITTLE ADVICE.

JUSTIN:

“Hey, Dee. How are things?” I answer the phone, while Brian navigates through the traffic.

“Everything is going pretty well here, Justin. The reason I’m calling is because I need to know when you and Brian are planning to hold the interviews. I’m not afraid to tell you that ever since you guys put out the wire for new hires, you’ve received a number of letters of interest.”

“Really? How many?”

“At last count, two-hundred and fifty.”

“WHAT?!” My exclamation caused Brian to startle behind the wheel a bit. So I hastily apologized, before explaining. “Sorry, Brian, but Dee just said that we’ve received two-hundred and fifty letters of interest…”

“At last count, Justin,” Dee reiterates, before adding, “We stopped counting around noon yesterday, but the requests for interviews kept pouring in. So again, I ask, how soon can you and Brian get back here? And will your core staff be able to accompany you? The only way I see a way to get any type of control over this mass mess here is to officially announce a cut off date, and subsequent interview appointments. Once that’s done, you and Brian might have a little breathing room before it’s time to get busy with staffing. Oh, and your office furniture has started to arrive.”

Shit! When Brian and I drafted that letter, we thought we would have maybe twenty applicants at most. But this is so far beyond anything we could have imagined. “Brian, do you think we can send Cynthia ahead of time? I don’t know if Stephanie will be able to go with her at this juncture. I think she and Murph are still working out their notice.”

“I can ask Cynthia,” he answers. “But I think one of our attorneys should go with her. Not Gabe, since he’s going to be needed here. Mel has things to do, and with the deals being closed regarding your properties, Julian is going to have to be at your beck and call until it’s all settled.”

“Then that leaves Robert and Joel.”

“Joel IS who you were planning to have as your Human Resources administrator, right?”

“Yes, but that was regarding all my ventures here in Pittsburgh. And since Robert is a Forensic Accountant, I thought it prudent to have him come with Joel to have a primary look at the books so he can bring Ted up to speed on what should be our next move in reference to the store.”

Brian nods, even as his eyes are still on the road. “Sunshine, I know that he was supposed to review employee records once we oust Craig from the premises, but… Well, now is the time for you to learn to delegate. There’s just no way you’re going to be able to do everything by yourself all the time…”

“He’s right, Justin,” Dee interjects.

“Says the KING of micromanaging!” I advise both of them.

“True. But I also know when it’s going to be too much, kinda like now. Delegation is a part of growing pains, Sunshine. It’s also the realization that we have an awesome team behind us just as hellbent on our success as we are. The bottom line is that the earliest we can leave the Pitts for L.A. will be late Saturday night, or early Sunday morning. In those few days, you have contracts to get signed and preliminary renovations to order done, for both Taylor Electronics and your new venture with the bookstore.”

I sigh, before conceding a modicum of defeat. “So, any suggestions?” I know he has some, since Brian never brings up shit like this unless his smug ass has a point to make.

“I would fax this stack, but well, there are just too many. So if you have a viable solution, let’s examine it,” Dee says, over the speaker. 

“As a matter of fact I do have one that I think can work wonders at this juncture. Ask the grandparents if they would be willing to go through the employee records of Taylor Electronics on your behalf. In all honesty, I think they are probably going to be just as ruthless as you are sometimes. The only difference is that they have the advantage of age behind them, whereas if you were to do the same exact thing, you would be misconstrued as a brat.”

Dee laughed. “Say it isn’t so, Justin! I can’t even imagine you being anything less than congenial.”

“Don’t let the innocent look fool you, Dee. Our little Justin can be a very bitchy princess, and mean every single word while he’s verbally crucifying someone.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“I’m not bitchy… I just think people should be more thoughtful in their words and deeds. Most of the time when I’ve had to be that way, somehow the person mistook me for a marshmellow and their eardrums paid the price for it. What they think of me isn’t my business, until their mind-to-mouth filter malfunctions in my direction,” I explain.

Brian chuckled. “Very diplomatic way of confirming that you’re a bitchy princess, Sunshine.”

I look at him with narrowed eyes, before saying sarcastically, “Well the princess has learned from the best bitchy Queen of queen-outs there is, sooo…”

Brian outright laughs then. “Touche, Sunshine. So now back to the plan, I think your mom can handle overseeing the renovations being done in both places, and since she’s a kick-ass real estate agent with a list of trusted contractors, she’s the best person to see your visions come to life.”

“That’s not a bad idea…” And isn’t it a sad day when I can see the wisdom in Brian’s reasoning. Usually, I can always find a loophole or two, but not this time. 

“I really don’t have bad ideas, Sunshine…”

“And so modest, too,” Dee says snickering, as she listens in. 

“No need for modesty, when I’m right, Ms. Prince,” Brian smugly comments.

I can tell she’s enjoying the interaction between me and Brian. It’s a side to us others rarely get to see, especially when coming up with options for what seems an impossible situation. Little does she realize that it’s just the way Brian and I work, regardless of what it is. The bottom line is that if you can’t actually explain your reasoning, it’s a thought that should stay in your head. And that simple rule is the true secret of our success when it comes to ads.

As we’re turning into the parking lot of Taylor Electronics, I say, “Alright, Dee. Let me talk to everyone, and I’ll put Cynthia on a plane within the next twelve hours to begin separating the riff-raff from the serious contenders. She’ll know exactly what Brian and I are looking for when it comes to building our team. Also, can you have Josie take pictures of our half of the building- all floors- and send them to me via email. I have the preliminary sketches I did, but now I want to configure the set up on the computer before I give instructions on how I want it fixed for maximum productivity.”

“I’ll make that her first assignment when she comes in. That should be about forty-five minutes from now. “

“Which should work perfectly, since I intend to be just about finished dealing with my sperm donor by then.”

“Wait a minute… you mentioned an electronics store?”

“Yes. He- who provided half my DNA- stupidly used my college fund to keep the business operable, while helping himself to the lion’s share. He’s been ordered to pay it all back, and to turn over the business to me officially. Guess what my first order of business is?” 

I smile wide, even as Brian says, “Sir Bitchy Princess is coming out to play.”

“Damn!” Dee exclaims. “Brian, see if you can take a video and email it to me. This is something I just have to see to believe!”

I disconnect the call to the sound of her laughter, thinking that I’ve really found a gem in that woman. Despite Michael and Lindsay’s intentions, I think Brian and I have found true friends- genuine supporters of US- in Dahlia and DeMarcus Prince. So as far as I’m concerned, that puts Brian and I on an even more solid footing. I’m definitely looking forward to building a life to include these people, in addition to keeping the family here in the Pitts. Of course, I’ll miss Deb if she chooses to continue in her blindness where Michael is concerned, but Brian and I just don’t need the aggravation of trying to get her to see how manipulative he and Lindsay really are. 

We just simply have too much else to do on our way to achieving greatness. 

I turn to Brian, before asking. “What time is your conference call with DeMarcus?”

He looks at his watch, before saying, “In about three hours. The laptop is in the backseat, so I can conduct it from out here if you need me to.”

“First, let me call Gramps and the Gaggle to set some things into motion. I see the wisdom of delegation now, Brian. Also we have to decide on a new name for the bookstore. Did you bring the tablet as well?”

Brian doesn’t say anything; just reaches into the backseat to grab his computer bag. I smile as he hands me the XP-Pen Artist Pro. It was expensive, but has been earning its keep, since there isn’t much that’s art-related I can’t do on it. It hasn’t taken the place of my sketchpad entirely though, but definitely a plus to have around. 

While we’re waiting on Julian to arrive from VRA, I sit and sketch out my idea for the new sign for the Taylor-Kinney Electronics. Then I add the colors to it that is sure to piss Craig off in the extreme. What’s more is that he will know there’s not one damn thing he can do about it. Yeah, Brian was right. I can indeed be a bitchy princess! 

“That’s very eye-catching.”

“Thanks. I still have to do the one for the bookstore. Have you thought of a name yet?”

“You’re the one who names things in this family, Sunshine.”

I can’t help but smile at him then as once again, the realization of what we’re becoming dawns bright and clear on me. “We really are a family.”

“Hell, we have already joined business ventures, accounts, and a kid that comes with his own pet Melanie. And I didn’t even have to knock you up to get all that!”

We both burst out laughing. “You know you’re going to have to lay off Mel before she really bites you, Brian.” 

“I know, but I’m getting all my shots in while I still can.” He shrugs.

“So, you really like the sign? It’s not too ostentatious, even by our standards?”

Hell no! Besides, why do you really care? Rainbow colors aside, and whatever subliminal message it might send to the world at large, I like how it gives the appearance of either being at a concert, or watching one on a huge screen.”

“That was the idea when designing it. I wanted to send a major message to our detractors to watch us succeed, where they intended for us to fail for their own benefit. But the colors… Well, if it pisses Craig off in the process, that’s his problem and my bonus. I think the sign alone is going to draw in far more people than just the country club set, which is the crowd he always wanted to cater to. The bottom line is that although we have the best electronic equipment and most knowledgeable staff in town, the potential of the store has been greatly underserved due to his lofty goals and poor leadership. It’s a situation that I’m more than happy to rectify now, and I think the employees will be grateful as well.”

“Any idea who you want to use as a manager yet?”

I thought for a moment, realizing that there was some truly untapped potential my father- in his greed- failed to cultivate so that he could seem like the Big Man he really isn’t. “I think there ought to be two people in charge, both of whom have to answer to me. I believe that was part of Craig’s problem, in that he had no one to be accountable to and thought he could get away with everything he tried. Sadly, for a time, he did. But having two people in place protects the business on many levels, especially against embezzlement, since they will ultimately be checking behind each other even as we do the same to them via Ted. Craig’s secretary, Erica Malvoisin is the first person I want to promote.”

“What makes a secretary qualified to be in the position of manager?” Brian looked at me questioningly, but I just smiled before answering. 

“Erica’s a lot like Cynthia, for one thing. She’s never been one to rest on her laurels once she obtained what most would consider a sustainable career. So she worked her ass off to get both a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, and a Masters in Finance, while still serving as the jackass’ personal assistant. And what’s worse is that while the company touts tuition reimbursement as a fringe benefit to working here, Craig had yet to make good on it, even after she obtained her degrees. Instead, he just outright refused to promote her, which simply increasing her salary would have covered without a problem.”

“I can just about guess the reason she wasn’t reimbursed since he was spending your money. But why didn’t she leave?”

“I know for a fact she was planning to leave his ass high and dry. Although he told her he wouldn’t promote her because of the current business model the store was working under, the truth was that she actually interviewed with Ryder, who in turn told Craig about it. But just like the misogynistic assholes Ryder and Vance are, Craig arrogantly thought that regardless of her education, her place was really to cater to him. So while she was still fuming at Craig’s bigotry, Erica called in a few favors of her own.”

“Favors?”

“Yep. As his personal assistant, Erica had access to just about all of Craig’s records… including his financial records. So while he was out of the office visiting his mistress, or out in the store front posturing like he was the almighty king, Erica made copies of those and had them hand-delivered to my mother. There were other things she did too, and I will say that I certainly would never want to be the man to cross her; undetectable revenge seems to be a specialty of hers. But honestly, all of this happening right now is fortuitous in a major way for her since he has spent the last few weeks looking for a legal reason to fire her.”

“I see your point, Sunshine. Promoting her now would not only show her that you value her as an employee, but it will give her the opportunity to put that heavy education to good use. So how about the second person? Who do you have in mind for that?”

“Pete Northrop, who has been here since I was in the seventh grade. The truth is that Craig treated him as his personal workhorse while never giving him a raise or the title he truly deserved.”

“And what’s his specialty?”

“All manner of electronics, especially those requiring programming. Pete is another employee here who has a dual degree. His is in Information Technological Systems and Purchasing.”

“Purchasing?”

I smile at Brian. “Indeed. Because of Pete’s continued research and guidance, TK Electronics maintains the reputation of being the best. That begins with the products we sell, to installation and beyond. All of the technicians- even though they also had to have some basic knowledge to get hired here- have been personally trained by Pete. The only reason Craig didn’t promote him was because if Pete was busy, Craig would be made to look like the damn inept idiot he is when he had to stand on his own two feet with the public. 

“Craig could never talk about the latest technology to anyone, since he refused to learn about it himself. It’s why he surrounded himself with people more knowledgeable than he could ever hope to be. And whereas that’s not a bad thing if you’re ambitious and looking to better yourself, in Craig’s case, it allowed him to be outright lazy while reaping all the benefits of their hard work.”

“I can see you have been thinking about this for awhile.”

“More years than you can imagine,” I acknowledge. “I always said that if I had the chance, I would talk to Craig about the high turnover rate of employees and why it was happening.”

“I thought you didn’t want to take over the business.”

“I wouldn’t have minded, but I did NOT want to do it because of the reasons Craig wanted me to. I didn’t want to have to choose between what I wanted and his expectations, which he was completely inflexible on. I’ve been more than qualified to run the store for more years than Craig even knows about, since he only bothered to make sure I would be accepted to Dartmouth without question. It was always his plan that I go, then come back to allow him to live his life in leisure while serially cheating on my mother AND his mistress.”

Brian snickered. “You mean he has more than one?”

“He had two others, but one of them recently received a tip from an unknown source that she wasn’t the other woman, but the other, OTHER woman. I don’t think you have to ask how that went.”

“And yet this is a man who calls gays morally reprehensible because we either like dick, or in the case of women, won’t fuck him at all…”

“Exactly! Anyway, now I don’t have to talk to Craig about his business model, because I can fix it all directly, without his involvement at all. I want this to be a place where the employees will enjoy their jobs, more than just beyond the next sale. I want them all to have a sense of accomplishment that they’ve earned fair and square. But first, I have to figure out where everyone else’s talents lie and utilize them accordingly. It’s why I wanted to go through the employee records.”

Brian started to respond, but we both got distracted seeing the black muscle car speed into the parking lot. Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems’ was on full blast, and the driver couldn’t find a fuck to give. I just had to laugh. As irreverent as I have always been of the societal norms within the country club set, Julian Gabriel was apparently even moreso. To me, that bodes well for him working for me; I loathe stuffy ass people.

Well, unless I’m the one stuffing their asses. 

“And just what is that salacious smirk about?” Brian asks me, an identical gesture gracing his own features.

“And wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I can just about guess, Taylor.”

“That’s Taylor-Kinney, thank you very much for remembering.”

“Sounds like someone is due for a spanking.”

“Let’s revisit that idea later, since I intend to earn a VERY firm hand in just a few moments.”

Brian’s smirk turned into a full-blown smile just then. He gestures to my tablet, saying, “Press send so I can take full advantage of tonight’s ass on tap.”

“Oooh, yes please!” I purr. “A rim job with extra tongue sounds just like what Dr. Taylor-Kinney should order.”

“I think I will, Sunshine.” 

I smile as I hit send on the design, emailing it to Maurice Tierney’s sign company. He was one of my first contacts within my logo business at fourteen, and between the two of us, we’ve been amassing quite a following. In the accompanying note, I advise him to expect another one from me within the next few hours and request that the signs be given priority to go up within the following forty-eight hours. I know he’ll stop everything to get my orders completed within the next few days.”

“You never did answer my question regarding the name of the bookstore, Brian.”

“Yes, I did. I said that you should name it.”

“Okay then. We’ll call it Kinnetik.”

“Kinetic? As in motion?” 

“Yeah, only we’ll make it a play on the last half of our last name. We’ll spell it K-I-N-N-E-T-I-K, that way it still has ‘TK’ in it, while basically telling the public who the store belongs to. If everything goes well, and the way I envision it, these two stores will only be the beginning of our budding empire.”

“Dreaming big, aren’t you, Sunshine?”

“No, Brian. We’re about to reinvent the way to not only dream big, but LIVE BIGGER. We’re about to show everyone who tried or will try to stop us just who actually has the bigger dick. It’s going to leave them gagging. And shit, I can’t wait!”

Brian laughs at my idea of figuratively fucking them all. But he also knows I’m absolutely serious. He knows that I’ll lead the charge if I have to before he’s ready to take over. It’s the indisputable level of trust we’ve been steadily building since the second night he fucked me, even though he fought it as long as he could. It’s knowing that if he doesn’t know where to go, or how to begin something, I’ve got him on all sides.

Lindsay and Michael changed the game, but they have no idea how Brian and I intend to play it. I really should thank them though, because their bullshit upped my timetable quite a bit. Brian was always my endgame; they just couldn’t accept it. Well, now they don’t have a fucking choice. There’s only one additional Taylor-Kinney in this town besides Brian, and I’m IT!

I alighted from our car, and moved around it to stand next to my husband. Yep, I just gleefully giggled inside thinking that. I doubt anyone would blame me since Brian IS such an amazing man. Julian was already out of his, and headed in our direction. Putting a genuine smile on my face, I extend my hand to greet him. 

“Looks like you’ve found the perfect theme song for today,” I say, laughing.

“Seems like a lot of people are learning that particular lesson at your hands today, Justin,” he responds, smiling wide at me. “I can’t say that I’m sorry about it though. The reactions thus far have just been way too entertaining.”

“And just how did it go at Ryder’s?” Brian asked Julian, after shaking his hand.

“Very well. I honestly think Stephanie might convince Murph to blow that pop-stand earlier than Vance and Ryder have anticipated. She really can’t stand either of them. Personally, I think if she’s forced to stay there a week longer she might catch a double murder charge. Plus it looks like their head corporate attorney might be at the end of his rope with them, too. It’s definitely a good set up for a game of Clue.”

I laughed. “I could definitely see Stephanie as Miss Scarlet, and Joe Cabello as good ol’ Colonel Mustard. The question would be which one would choose the gun over the candlestick.”

“With what I saw today, I’m almost willing to bet Stephanie would opt to bend them over and put the bullets straight up their asses,” Julian said.

“So what happened?” 

“Vance and Ryder tried to fight the clauses in the NDA, but Cabello went off on them. I don’t know exactly what he has over them, but they surely wrote those checks like their hands were on fire. They’re in my briefcase within the car. I offered him a job when he finally became tired of the battling CEO’s of VRA. For the record, I honestly don’t see that partnership working out long term. Stephanie told them they sounded like a wife and a mistress fighting over a man. She wasn’t off the mark in her assessment at all.”

“Not our problem, but…” Brian said, before narrowing his eyes.

“What is it?” I ask, an eyebrow raised. I am beginning to understand the way Brian’s mind calculates plots, risks, and scenarios more and more. Such a mastermind wrapped up in a sexy package… and yeah, I’m feeling smug right now that he’s all mine. 

Brian smiled at the both of us, before responding. “Just thinking that when the time comes to branch out our side of DPAA, the current location of VRA might be an option. But first, let’s work on really establishing ourselves, and getting your businesses under control, Justin.”

We each nodded, before heading into the main entrance of OUR electronics store. Joel was at the door waiting for us, both shaking his head and also near tears in laughter. “Let me guess… Craig is throwing a tantrum,” I say.

“And I must say, it’s entertaining, frustrating, and downright pathetic. Your mother is possibly even more devious than you are,” Joel answers, obviously trying to control himself.

“What do you mean?”

“By the time we arrived here, Erica had called her. Apparently, due to that phone call, the two of them thought you could use some physical backup. Wanna tell us how your mother knows Detectives Tucker and Hern?”

I narrow my eyes at Robert, knowing the pleasure he is getting out of mentioning Detective Charles Tucker, specifically. I answer anyway for Brian and Julian’s benefit, since I know they’ll badger me until I divulge at least a little of the history. I sigh loudly in mild frustration before saying, “It’s a long story, but suffice it to say that mom met Melvin Hern during her freshman year in college. As for Charles Tucker, he’s Molly’s former science teacher. He also worked in the CSI department part-time before making the rank of Detective.” 

My discomfort is more than obvious, even though I know I’ve kept my face somewhat neutral while speaking. Tucker’s had a crush on my mother for longer than I care to remember. And now that Craig is out of the way… Yeah, I don’t even want to go there! Robert nods his head, as if he knows exactly where my mind just went; yet another un-benefit of knowing someone longer than I care to think of at the moment. 

It's not a total disadvantage, but definitely NOT fun at moments like this either. The bottom line is that Tuck is just a few years older than Brian, which makes him…. Oh my GOD! He’s twelve years younger than my mother! What the… I think I want to be sick! 

“Sunshine, you okay?” Brian nudges me, as I feel my face drain of all color at that realization. 

Robert laughs then. “Honestly, he isn’t, but I’m going to let him tell you all about that later, Brian. Regardless of how Justin is feeling right now about whom his mother called, it’s lucky, they were off-duty when she called them and sent them here. Currently, Craig is in the office, trying to reason with them, believing he should have been able to keep tampering with the ledgers. Instead, he was forcibly pulled from the computer, where they are kept. It was obvious that Craig was in the process of changing figures to match the printed ledgers in his hand, which held the original figures before he could get away with embezzling the funds. I didn’t see which month he was working on, specifically, but he’s being held between the two officers right now, while Robert looks over the changes that were made today since Craig arrived here from court.”

I can’t help but shake my head at his vindictiveness and spite. It was already bad enough that the fool was caught siphoning from my trust fund, and ordered to pay back every red cent in addition to handing over the store. But to actively be caught cooking the books? Yeah, STUPID doesn’t even really cover what Craig is. In fact, the word ‘stupid’ should be a person who could file a lawsuit for defamation of character since it’s being grossly misused to describe Craig. 

“Well, not that I was going to let him keep his job anyway, but now he’s given me legal reasons to fire his ass.” We could still hear the yelling and pleading happening within the office. “Let’s go deal with this, so Tuck and Hern can get back to enjoying their day off. I still can’t get over her calling him.”

“Get over it, Justin. Whatever is going to happen now isn’t something you can do anything about. After all, you will be living it up in sunny California. Besides, YOU set the example,” Robert smugly says. 

I just want to punch him, but I won’t... yet. As we arrive within the outer-office, Erica is sitting there smiling with a bag of chips in her hand. Wordlessly, she holds out the bag, which surprisingly Brian dips his hand into. Popping one into his mouth, he turns to her, and says, “Good choice. I take it you’re enjoying the entertainment.”

At first, she’s awestruck and staring at him like she’d like to take a bite out of him as he continues to chew. Can’t say that I blame her since that was nearly my own first reaction to meeting him. She shakes her head quickly to clear it, before responding, “Yes. It’s almost like watching an episode of World’s Dumbest Criminals. You know the results are going to be tragic. I mean, people like that tend to make you question why certain creatures in the human race are considered an intelligent life form, right? Yet, you still just can’t look away from the idiocy. It’s so ridiculous, it’s actually pretty hilarious.”

“You can’t seriously mean to arrest me! I was fixing it!” Craig yells from inside the office. 

Amazingly, Tuck and Hern had the genius idea of using a set of hard-rubber bungee cords to tie Craig to the vertical radiator in the corner of the room, in place of handcuffs. That’s what he gets for never upgrading the heating system, even though Mom urged him to many times over the years. The fact that every time his hands go near the damn thing he pulls back has me looking at Erica, both in shock and mirth. “Bad girl! You turned up the heat within his office, didn’t you?”

She shrugs, as if innocent. “I just thought he should get used to what hell feels like since it’s where he belongs. Also, I considered it the humane thing to do since prison isn’t usually known for their heat. I’m pretty sure that’s his very next pit stop before Satan comes to reclaim his ol’ mean, money-grubbing ass.”

“So this is a humanitarian effort on your part?” Brian asks.

“My mom always said you should be kind to monkeys, babies, and fools. So, since I haven’t whipped out my belt to tear Craig’s ass a new hole, I consider my duty done. Trust me; that would have been a lot meaner since he’s long since overdue for a good old fashioned ass-whooping. I’m sure Big Bubba will be happy to remedy that where he’s going.”

All of us within the office laughed, even as Erica dug into her chips again. “I see why you really want to promote her, Sunshine. Erica’s not going to stand for any shit from anyone.”

“Damn right I won’t! I’m all shit-taken out after having had to deal with that Viagra-guzzling gargoyle in there. By the way, Justin, your mother should be calling you in a little while to tell you that the money to your accounts is returned, and that you have some property coming to you.”

“Property?”

She smiled at me. “As you know, I’m very thorough when doing my job. But there are certain instances where I intentionally forget to do as I’ve been instructed where Craig is concerned. It just so happened that while I was on the phone with Jennifer, Craig called to tell me to have Neil Harris meet him here at the office with his will, and other documents.”

“What did you do, Erica?”

“Nothing really,” she answers in the most innocent tone I’ve ever heard her use. “Well, nothing except use a little black girl magic and the intelligent black woman’s guide to revenge- legal edition. First, I called the District Attorney’s office to advise that Mr. Harris was instrumental in helping Craig steal from you, then provided the ADA with all the necessary documents including copies of the emails between them, and Craig’s business account ledgers prior to the changes he made. They should be raiding his records right about now.”

“Oh shit! That means Mom still has Craig’s power of attorney.”

“Exactly! And since he’s about to be considered incapacitated…”

“Brian, you need to call Ted, and tell him to get over to my mother’s.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“All of Craig’s assets just became hers… and mine. He’ll help her tie everything with the exception of this store and the property…”

“Which is in YOUR name, Justin,” Erica helpfully supplies.

I nod in acknowledgement before continuing. “He needs to help her take his name off of everything, including the house, then tie everything else up in investments. In fact, have him write up a short sale to me for the house. Tell him to pay her from the money I just got deposited…” I turn to Julian. “You did have Vance and Ryder write the checks out to ‘Cash,’ right?”

He smiles at me. “Of course, and then took them directly to Cynthia for her to deposit into your account using the app. The money should already be there and cleared. Nancy Peterson had Ronald do the same thing, only with a little more added on. At least half of it should be there with the other amount clearing within the next forty-eight hours.”

“Brian, have Ted write the check for $275,500 for the house. Erica, how much did Craig spend putting both mistresses up on my dime?”

“One million, seven-hundred for the properties. That doesn’t include whatever else he may have bought for them in your name. Robert might be able to tell you more since he’s digging into ALL of the accounts, including the two hidden ones Craig had. I know that one of them has a fucking Barbie mobile, even though I’m not sure which one it is. I only know them by the size of the floatation devices they call tits. While one looks like you can float down the Atlantic on hers, the other’s tits look like they’re heavy enough to sink ships. And yes! He paid for them, the fucking dirty dog.”

Brian laughed outright. “I really do like her, Sunshine. It’s a good thing we’re keeping her here, even though I would love to have her in L.A. with us. It’s like having Cynthia and Stephanie all rolled into one person. So, about the money...”

“Don’t worry, Brian. I intend to put it back, only it’s going into the joint account once I sell those condos and whatever else is attached to my name without my knowledge.”

“That’s not what I was going to say, Sunshine, but thanks for the assurance. No, I was going to say take the sum of the house out of our joint account instead. That way, even if Craig tries to contest the sale of the house, he wouldn’t be able to sue you without me. And in lieu of past events, he wouldn’t dare go after me.”

I know exactly what he’s referring to. The statute of limitations isn’t up yet on several charges that Brian could have filed against Craig, including leaving the scene of an accident and simple assault. The only reason Brian didn’t press charges is because it would have hurt me at the time. I had just been told to never go home again unless I stopped being gay and agreed never to see Brian again. So in Brian’s way of showing compassion, he let it go. 

But Brian’s right that Craig would be an idiot to test him. First, there were many witnesses to the assault, so he could easily prove it happened. Babylon has always been full of queens, who love to prove they’re ‘in the know’. The Tell-A-Queen network is well and truly alive and gabbing. Add into the fact that it would me and Brian against a known homophobe… 

Well, Craig wouldn’t stand a chance of winning. As far as the jeep goes, even though there weren’t any witnesses beyond Craig and Brian, the mechanics’ reports from both Brian and Mom would be enough to convict Craig without a second thought. There’s no way Craig would be able to deny he ran into Brian twice since both the starter of the car and the trunk were crushed. It’s actually a miracle the asshole made it back to the house, since the fuel line was also bent at an awkward angle. So in short, Craig would do well to just accept what is about to happen with all the good grace of the boiled lobster he’s resembling.

He may claw and fight to get out the pot, but once the lid goes on his ass is COOKED!

Brian is already dialing Ted as I go inside the office. Tuck and Hern are both leaning over Robert’s shoulders, while the printer continues to sing out page after page of the ledgers. There’s already a stack on it with enough pages to put together an encyclopedia. I look over at Craig, who is still struggling against the radiator. Then I laugh as once again, he shouts yet another series of curses from burning his hand against it. 

“You know, any child would have stopped doing that by now, Craig. I mean, how many times must you burn your hand before you realize it’s still hot?” I ask rhetorically.

“Fuck you, Justin!”

“Not even with your own dick, Craig,” I retort, wryly. “But considering where you’re going, I would get used to the idea of being a bottom if I were you.”

“Just you wait! I’m going to sue these fucking pricks for Unlawful Detainment, and then you’re next! You hear me, Justin?! You’re fucking NEXT!”

I just stand there looking bored at his tone, which only serves to piss him off even more. I sigh and roll my eyes before saying, “Craig, you and I both know that there isn’t a crime being committed here… anymore, that is. The fact is that you were caught red-handed tampering with the accounting.”

“I was fixing my error!”

“A very deliberate mistake you made, which shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Do you know what that particular error is called, Craig?”

“Fuck you, you smug little bastard!”

“Nope. Not a bastard since according to you and my birth certificate, I can’t legally deny we share DNA. It fucking sucks to be, right? Well, not totally, but you surely understand that the suckage is only in reference to the fact that I can't yank your RNA strand from my body and cast it into the pit of hell which I'm sure is your final destination. As for the offer to fuck me, uh, that would be a NO. First, YUCK! I don’t even like the thought of incest. If I didn't know better, and adore my grandparents, I would certainly have accused them of inbreeding since you really do lack some cognitive function to even spew those particular words in my direction.That you would even do it is just so simply shocking…”

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT AND YOU KNOW IT!”

“Not really, since we’ve already established that you’re a perv, smack in the middle of a midlife crisis. I mean, just how old are Barbie and Bimbette? Or should we call the secondary mistress Skipper since she dropped your ass fast when she found out about mom and her co-P.O.D.”

“What the hell are you talking about? And why the fuck are you spelling pod like it’s a bad word or something?”

“It’s P.O.D., Craig, and basically it’s an acronym for your nearly underage pussies-on-demand. Well again, I think you’re about to learn just how that feels, only in your case it’s going to be Booty-On-Demand. Your backside can't really be referred to as an ass since it seems to lack any cushion at all. Or is it just that with your advanced age it's gone south? Perhaps instead of trying to recreate the Titantic using fake tits, you might have invested in collagen shots for your behind. Hmm... maybe you'll find a nice bear in prison which won't mind your lack of behind so much. Some men just aren't as discriminating as they are when they aren't doing hard time.

"Oh speaking of a hard time, you should also probably work on learning to flex your tonsils too. Guys like getting deep-throated; you don’t want to gag too much. True some men want you to choke on their dicks, but... well, if you're gagging while you're blowing a small one that could just be insulting and go all types of wrong for you. Which reminds me, for goodness sake, make sure you cover your teeth, otherwise they will knock yours out. Well, I think that’s about all the blowjob advice I’m willing to give you, Craig. Everything else, you’ll have to learn on the job in the joint. Just think about how you liked your barely-legal THOTS to do it to you, and I’m sure you’ll be the Belle of the Bars in no time. That should make your next twenty years a whole lot more bearable, don't you think?”

“Sorry to interrupt, Justin, but what exactly is a thot?” Detective Hern asks. Sometimes I forget how old he is despite his young looks.

While Tuck and Robert laugh, along with everyone else listening in from the outer-office, I explain. “Forgive me, Hern. I should have put it in terms that both you and Craig could understand. You see, I like acronyms. In fact, I love them since I can get away with saying them, especially in front of the punkass who keeps purposely burning himself against a HOT radiator. Stop that, jackass! It’s not going to get you anything but burn marks in addition to the skid marks already in your drawers; Big Bubba will NOT be pleased!” I yell at Craig before calmly continuing. “Now where was I? Hmm, oh yeah…. 

“So the acronym of THOT simply means 'That HO Over There.’ You know who that HO usually is- Craig is about to become one himself, after all. It’s usually that anonymous fuck, who you really should have left alone, but you just couldn’t help yourself. But just like you couldn’t resist playing plug-in-socket with that loose chick or prick, everyone else couldn’t either. So basically, because no one can ever seem to remember the loose one’s name- even if they remember ramming their dick inside him or her- they are just simply referred to as a Thot. Which if you think about it pretty much describes Craig’s mistresses, who are about to be homeless among other things. Oh, and if it’s not clear to you, Craig… you’re fired. Book’em, Danno.” I snicker while looking at the three men, who are trying their best to hold in their collective laughter. “I’ve always wanted a reason to say that.”

As I turn around to leave the office, while hearing the tune of renewed pleas coming from Craig, I notice Brian holding his cellphone sideways. The only odd thing that gives him away is the shining light over the camera lens, which means the fool is recording me. I don’t even have the wherewithal to scold him for his antics. Brian just grins at me. “Dee is going to love this! Between her and DeMarcus, I wouldn’t be surprised if this went viral. As setdowns go, Sunshine, I think the student is about to surpass the teacher.”

I laugh before kissing him, enjoying the less than manly screech my action caused from Craig. Brian returns the gesture, making sure to pull back just enough for Craig to see him tongue-fucking me before we both come up for air. I moan softly, allowing the breath expelling from me to ghost over his lips. Yeah, I know exactly what that does to him, but there’s a bunch more we have to get done today. So I just settled on accepting his compliment with a truth of my own. “I learned from the Master.”

And wouldn’t you know that earned me another kiss to curl my toes. Hmmm, maybe business can wait a little bit after all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that you all can't see the pics that accompany the chapter on this site. I haven't figured out how to add them, if it's even possible. However, if you're interested and feel it will give you a better visual of the story as a whole, this is also posted over on kinnetikdreams.com under Nichelle Wellesly. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	9. CHAPTER NINE: RULE NUMBER FOUR OF BEING AN ADULT: THE MOST VALUABLE ADVICE KENNY ROGERS EVER GAVE IN A SONG IS USUALLY RIGHT!

CHAPTER NINE: RULE NUMBER FOUR OF BEING AN ADULT: THE MOST VALUABLE ADVICE KENNY ROGERS EVER GAVE IN A SONG IS USUALLY RIGHT!

JOE:

There are no words to describe the pleasure I felt in telling that exacerbating fuck that David and Hank moved. David really dodged a bullet with that one! Novotny reminds me too much of my ex, in that he was always looking for the bigger, better deal. That said, of course, I didn’t tell him where the Camerons are, but that was for two reasons. The first- and most obvious- one is that I didn’t want to give him any hope of invading their lives again. 

You see, with people like Novotny, it’s best not to give them an avenue of escape. Now true, the word and actions of escape can mean different things to different people. But in that little turd’s case it all comes down to being taken care of. It’s the only reason he returned here; understanding that his well had run dry in Pittsburgh. Yes, David was only too forthcoming in telling me what the real deal was with Michael Novotny; and what he didn’t say, I witnessed myself. 

He really should have thought to close the windows on the house if he planned for his pussyboy plotting to remain a secret! But his lack of common sense really worked out well for all involved… well, almost all involved, except HIM. I suspect the same might be holding true for the harridan he screeched and whined to, as well. Lindsay- I think that was her name- was so afraid of people named Melanie and Brian finding out what she and the idiot had planned that she was actually willing to fly to California to find out what was going on.

Her plan was that he somehow pay for her ticket round-trip, along with putting her up in a hotel so she could question her contacts in private while avoiding Brian, who apparently was there already. The only thing stopping them from going through with her plan was that she wouldn’t be able to explain away her absence because of someone named Gus. I later found out that he was the son the harridan shared with Kinney. As I continued to listen as they bounced ideas off each other- especially one where she would bring Gus with her under the guise of visiting Novotny- I knew I needed to find a way to stop them immediately from whatever bullshit they were going to try next. But luckily Lindsay decided that if she was going to travel out to L.A. the last thing she wanted to do was tote a baby around with her.

Then, of course, that led to an argument between them about her conniving her way into Brian’s pockets via her uterus. She accused Novotny of trying to do the same thing by constantly lauding and lamenting their friendship by turns, which would never be as close as her connection to Brian Kinney. I honestly couldn’t tell if they were friends or enemies by that point. They reminded me of what two dogs would sound like fighting over a bone. 

So I guess frenemies would have described their relationship to each other accurately, since from what I gathered, they only came together when they shared a common goal of keeping Brian Kinney where they could use him for their own benefit. 

In looking back at it all, I couldn’t regret putting that call into David the morning where the shit hit the fan for Michael Novotny. Once again, I stood by and listened to the screech, whine, and cooing going on in rapid succession over the phone, which was on speaker again. I swear, someone should check both of their hearing; their conversation was just that loud. Once I connected the call to David, I hurriedly explained the situation and advised him to listen in to Michael and Lindsay’s conversation. He told me that he would be back to the house in a few moments, and not to let on that I knew anything, should Novotny have crawled his lazy ass out of the house. I could have told him that there was no use in worrying about that since no doubt those two bitches would be on the phone until just about time for Hank to get home from school. It was just how they operated. Then from my place beneath the window leading to David’s living room, I pressed record, and Michael Novotny became history. 

And history he’s definitely going to remain I think as I watch him FINALLY get the hint that they are gone for good, before slinking his slimy ass down the street. I really hope he got the message and will no longer try to find them. But I’m not too worried if he does, because although I’m keeping this place, I’ve been invited to join David and Hank in California as well. I can work from anywhere, and my clients will still seek me out, even if I have to travel some to get to them. It’s nothing that I haven’t done before. 

Although Hank is just about a teenager- and will be living on the same grounds as his grandparents- David thought that it would be good for him to have someone who could interact with him when David has to work. And honestly, spending time with Hank Cameron is really no hardship to me at all; he’s a delightful and intelligent young man. Besides, it’s time for me to add more to my life than just work. Calvin has been gone from my life for a long time, and it’s time for me to get back to the business of living. Our relationship was never my be all to end all, so there is no need for me to mourn it like it was any longer.

Yes, a new start is definitely what I need and I can’t think of a better place than sunny California to begin it.

PITTSBURGH WOMEN’S CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

NANCY

After dropping off Justin’s check to his attorney, I made my way here. I really hope that John takes my advice regarding that young man. As I sat there looking over the prenup he put together on Cartwright’s behalf, I had to admit that not only is he a genius, but also ruthless. In short, they are perfect for each other! And it’s going to give me great pleasure watching John Cartwright and Julian Gabriel develop into something solid and lasting.

John deserves that and so much more.

Which brings me to thoughts about my wayward daughter. I can’t quite figure out where I’ve gone so wrong with her. Is it that I should have torn her ass to shreds when she first exhibited this spoiled debutante behavior at six? Or is it that I’ve just remained hopeful that the problems with Lindsay would correct themselves over time? It just goes to show you that you can have two children, give them the same exact upbringing, and yet they turn out so differently.

For example, the very things I admire about Lynette are the same things I tend to loathe. Not because she’s unworthy, or even better than me, but because of her headstrong nature. Oh, I know that everyone thinks she and I can’t stand each other, and in a way they would be right. But they are dead wrong about the reason. You see, I made a mistake some years ago regarding my own finances; I didn’t listen to her when I should have. 

While I invested in what I thought would issue me a solid return, Lynette didn’t follow my lead but instead invested in- of all things- a coffee manufacturer. Today, that company is well worth over a billion dollars, whereas the company I invested in took a turn for the worst during the Bush Administration. I’m basically starting over while she’s riding high, so of course, I’m a bit jealous and disappointed. But more than that, I’ve led her to believe that she will never be good enough for me to be proud of her. It was that idiotic argument with her that I still regret to this day, and one I must rectify soon.

Consequently, I began to seemingly dote on the one I shouldn’t have. Lindsay… what can I say about her except that if after-term abortion wouldn’t be considered murder, I’d have killed the bitch long since. I only keep her around so that I can watch her. With Lindsay, it’s best to be the ever-watchful snake charmer, instead of the victim she sinks her fangs into. It’s a lesson that Brian Kinney- oops, I really must remember his new last name- and Melanie Marcus are just learning.

It’s also a lesson I’m determined Ronald learns, even if it kills him. And truthfully, it just might. Because of Lindsay’s latest antics, we are shelling out money left and right. No, we aren’t poor by any means, but nor have we been unnecessarily wasteful either. Except in the case of this bitch.

As I sit here waiting to be called in for visiting hours, I slide the contract Julian Gabriel handed me out of its large envelope. Looking over it, I must admit he covered all the bases I’d thought of and even more that I didn’t. Lindsay would be a fool to sign this, but then again, she’d be a fool not to. Without the ready assistance of Ronald to be had, she’d find herself destroyed a lot sooner than she will be after this contract is broken. Oh, neither John nor I hold any illusions that Lindsay will actually be able to abide these strident rules placed upon her. 

But that’s going to provide half the fun, isn’t it? Watching her scramble and trying to regroup; trying to find a loophole where there assuredly isn’t one, is going to be worth the price of admission to many people. I really should have thought to sell tickets to her downfall. I know I sound like a cold hearted bitch… well okay, I am one, but not without good reason. And the truth is that only one cold woman can deal with another on this particular level.

It’s something that Jennifer- of all people- reminded me of. In all my efforts to have an ally I could trust within the country club sect, I’d forgotten that most would smile in your face as you die before them while hiding the knife with your blood on it behind their backs. Somehow, I’d become too complacent in playing Lindsay’s game, instead of insisting that she dance to my tune. Well that’s all about to change now, and for good! When one of the most affluent and influential women within high society tells you that you’d better do something about the tramp you birthed or she will, you better believe it’s advice that should be listened to; especially in the case of Justin Taylor-Kinney.

“Mrs. Peterson, I wanted to have a brief word with you before you went in to see Lindsay,” a young man, who looks vaguely familiar to me, says.

“No problem, but… do I know you?”

He smiles and then I see it, even before he reintroduces himself. “Forgive me, Ma’am. I’m Duane Chanders.”

“I remember now. And might I say that you’ve certainly grown into a handsome young man, Duane. I think it’s okay for you to call me Nancy now. No, we aren’t of an age, but you are now an adult, so it’s permitted.”

“There’s no substitute for good manners, Mrs… Nancy.”

“That’s certainly true, Duane, but I honestly don’t mind.” It’s so tempting to flirt with him, even if I wouldn’t stand a chance. But in all honesty, I have enough going on right now with trying to keep Ronald on the right path, which is away from Lindsay. I swear sometimes I think he is the one who actually gave birth to Lindsay instead of me, except I was there and remember every fucking pain I endured to bring her into this world. Shaking myself out of my reverie, I allow him to lead me into an empty office before asking, “Now what is it that you need to tell me, Duane?”

“I spoke with Judge Barrows once I found out that you were on your way here. He advised that whereas he’s not going to take Lindsay’s rights away from her right now, he’s already putting through the restraining orders for Brian, Gus, Melanie, and Justin.”

“God! I really wanted him to take her parental rights away! She doesn’t deserve for anyone to call her mother unless it’s promptly followed by…”

“Nancy! Language!” he scolds me, laughing. “Even if you are correct, I’ve never heard you resort to such vulgarity.”

“I’m sorry, Duane. She has just been bringing out the worst in me lately. Besides, from what I hear, you’re no stranger to such vulgarity as you put it. From what Jennifer told me, your sister also has quite the mouth on her.”

He snickers again. “That’s certainly true, and she’s not afraid to cuss someone out in whatever language she chooses to use at the moment. It definitely made the Chanders household interesting. Adding Justin to it on various occasions… well you can just about imagine how many laughs and scoldings went out by turns, especially since the two of them are some of the most irreverent people when it comes to authority of any kind.”

“I certainly can imagine,” I state, considering the conversation I had with Jennifer earlier. Not only did she rip into me about Lindsay’s latest bullshit, but also relayed ALL of the information I wasn’t privy to regarding Justin and Daphne. Those two young people are nothing short of brilliant and dangerous at the same time! I switch gears back to the original topic of conversation, even though I would rather keep hearing about Daphne and Justin’s antics in controlling their enemies. “So he’s not going to take her rights away from her and is going to keep the restraining orders in place. So what has he decided about the jail time?”

“I figured we’d call him just before you went in to see Lindsay, but I know that John Cartwright called him prior to our conversation. Is that the prenup he had drawn up by Julian?”

“You know Julian Gabriel?”

He smiles wide. “Who doesn’t? Irreverent. Recalcitrant in the very best of ways. A lethal genius behind a placid facade. Yes, I know Julian better than most people do. He and I have been friends long before our respective careers were even thought about.” 

“And yet you both seem so different.”

“Don’t let the looks and career choices deceive you, Nancy. You’ll never find any two people better suited to be friends, except perhaps my sister and Justin. But let’s get to this matter, so that you can go deal with Ronald.”

“And deal with him, I must!” I exclaim. “The idiot is probably going through every worst case scenario his mind can dream up right now.”

“I don’t doubt it. You know you’re going to have to keep a tight rein on him, don’t you?”

“I’ve already taken steps to do just that. Has she called him yet?”

“No, but not for lack of trying. Lindsay has been trying to seduce her way to using the phone, regardless of the gender. Fortunately, I had a fairly long talk with the warden before we decided to put Lindsay here for holding. It’s part of the reason she’s being kept away from the other prisoners.”

“And the other reason?”

“Because of the nature of her crimes, of course,” Duane tells me, then goes on to explain. “The women here don’t take too kindly to child abusers. And although Gus’ case isn’t the worst we’ve seen, the women here still take offense to anyone who hurts a child. That especially holds true if the woman is the mother. They would beat her to death without a second thought while the guards look the other way. It’s why solitary confinement was the only viable solution for the interim.”

I nod, resisting the urge to cringe. It’s just proof positive that prison is the most brutal place. The idea that women could be seen just as barbaric as men would have seemed a bit preposterous a mere twenty-four hours ago. But after the recount of last night’s events from Jennifer, I can’t help but think that perhaps this environment is just what Lindsay needs to straighten her ass out. I mean the fact that she was caught attacking a defenseless child simply because he couldn’t get her the attention from Brian she felt she deserved… 

Well, that type of behavior deserves the most excruciating punishment the law could give, and then some. The only thing stopping me from reaping the beating she’s earned is that none of us want Lindsay dead… well not yet, at least. No. We all have plans for her, and honestly, what she won’t technically pay for now, Karma will make sure she pays for later.

Duane dials Judge Barrows’ number, and as we wait he advises, “Keep an open mind, Nancy. I’m not exactly sure what his reasons are, or what Cartwright asked him to do, but I’m pretty certain we’re both going to see reasoning soon enough.”

“I let you conduct the call, for the most part, Duane. I’m still hoping against hope that he makes her do jail time beyond the mere hours of holding her. At least that would bring us more than ninety days of peace and quiet from her.”

He looks at me puzzled for a moment, but before he has a chance to ask the question I see burning in his eyes, Judge Barrows’ voice cuts into his thoughts. “Hello, Duane. I understand that you have Nancy Peterson with you.”

“I do, Sir. Both she and I are a bit confused about you not taking Lindsay’s rights away from her.”

“Is Nancy on speaker?”

“I am, Martin,” I answer. He knows from my tone that I am far from happy with his decision, but am trying to do as Duane suggests in trying to gauge his agenda in all of this.

“Good, so that I only have to say this one time. The reason I didn’t take Lindsay’s parental rights away now is because there isn’t a doubt that she would find a reason to appeal the decision to do so later. Admittedly, Nancy, I thought you would find a way to help her do that at the time…”

“Then you don’t know me very well at all…”

“I’m realizing that, but let me finish,” Judge Barrows advises me. “To date, you’ve done such an admirable job in playing out the adage of keeping your enemies closer that it was hard to tell which side of the issue you would fall upon. That said, there are a couple of things you should know going into the meeting with Lindsay. The first is that a series of restraining orders have been issued in lieu of her behavior and subsequent arrest. Although the charges will stick- especially when she violates the orders- I’ve had Duane ask the D.A. to hold off on the official charges.”

“You’re that sure she’s going to violate the orders?” I ask in surprise. It seems that I’m not the only one who really knows Lindsay’s spoiled little girl tendencies.

“Most certainly. Her obsession with Brian Taylor-Kinney is more than well known, as is her fair-weather friendship with Michael Novotny. I told Brian a little bit ago that he was most certainly a wanted man because of his stalkers, for lack of a better term. Michael Novotny actually had the temerity to suggest that Brian should pay his bail for not being home when Novotny decided to disturb the peace outside of his loft on Tremont.”

“The abject nerve!” I exclaim. “He’s obviously cut from the same entitled cloth as Lindsay.”

“That’s true even more than you know, Nancy. So it would stand to reason that she is going to contact him to do her dirty work for her…”

“Which will put her in direct violation of the restraining orders, and thereby giving her no grounds to appeal the revocation of her parental rights since she’ll appear hellbent on flouting the law by any means necessary.”

“Exactly, Nancy. Sometimes you really must play fool to catch wise. In Lindsay’s case doing so will have her hanging herself while everyone around her stays blameless, even if we’re supplying the rope for her to do it. She has to learn to live with the consequences of her choices.”

Duane snickered. “Funny you should say that, since according to Daphne and Jennifer, it’s the reason she was so hellbent on getting rid of Justin. Lindsay felt that he needed to know the weight and pressure of adulthood.”

“Are you serious?” I ask, incredulous at her audacity. “Lindsay wouldn’t know the weight and pressure of adulthood if it bit her in her girly bits. That’s it! She really needs to be put in her place right now!”

“I agree,” Barrow says, before asking, “Duane, have you looked over the prenup that should be in Nancy’s possession, yet? John said that there’s some specific wording in it regarding Lindsay’s finances that you should be aware of should the attempt to regain little Gus come up.”

“I skimmed over it, but I’ll take a little bit more of an in-depth look before Nancy goes in to see her.”

“Good. Well, I think this concludes our business and the extent of explanations I can give you without disclosing other details of the private meeting I had with the Kinneys and Ms. Marcus earlier today. I’ll be in touch soon,” Barrows said, just before disconnecting the call.

I wordlessly handed Duane the document again, snickering at what he’s going to most assuredly see in the financial portion of the contract. After a time, he exclaims, “Holy mess on a stick! He’s going to…”

I smile. “Absolutely.”

Duane shook his head, even while laughing. “Jesus, John and Julian are ruthless. I knew I loved them as brothers for a reason! So either she accepts this prenup, or she goes to jail and takes her chances on her own after her sentence is finished. It’s a clear cut of having a little of something, or a lot of nothing. Either way, she’s not going to be happy or come away from this unscathed.”

“And that’s the most important thing, isn’t it?” I ask, rhetorically. “Well, come on, Duane. I’m sure you’re as anxious as I am to see the look on her face as she reads what’s going to be expected of her going forward.”

“Out of curiosity, which would you choose if this was your situation, Nancy?”

“It never would be, but if it were me, knowing what I know about this entire thing… I’d take my chances. But then, I’ve always been much smarter than Lindsay, and now it’s going to cost her.”

LINDSAY

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” I say, staring at the bullet points within this accursed contract.

I pasted a weary smile on my face as I saw her come in. God knows the last person I want to see is Mother. I already knew she was going to be difficult about this entire mess. I’d have much preferred to deal with Daddy. After all, he would have done anything within his power to fix this mess, lest I spill the beans about his affair with Elise Eisenhower to both Mother and Elise’s husband, who just happens to be Daddy’s business partner. 

I’ve been using that affair as leverage for years, so no need to stop now.

But more than that, Daddy has always understood how an expected end would justify a mean or two. In this case, I need to be free to snatch the rug from under than fucking Justin Taylor. I absolutely REFUSE to even acknowledge the possibility that he and Brian were telling the truth about them being married. He’s a fucking child! He has no business being married to, or in any way, shape, or form allowed near Brian!

Then, to make matters worse, I wasted precious time being cordial to her, since my sentiments were not returned. She just walked in here and proceeded to tell me what I’m GOING to do. Well, she must think that she holds some kind of power over me. It’s time to disabuse her of that notion immediately!

I look at this bullshit again, and repeat myself. “You have got to be kidding me!”

“No, I’m not. And he isn’t either. In fact, NONE of us are, Lindsay. You have been allowed to go unchecked too long. Although I really can’t understand what your problem is with the prenup. It’s pretty much giving you everything you’ve ever wanted. A home, an income without having to earn it… and a GAY man to marry.”

I can’t even stop the redness from creeping into my face at her last insinuation. “That’s NOT what I’ve always wanted, Mother!”

“You could have fooled the world with that nonsense, since you insisted on chasing after the most notorious gay man in Pittsburgh. Hell, I’d even dare say the United States, if the rumors about Brian’s proclivities are at all true. And now that he has Justin…”

“HE DOES NOT HAVE JUSTIN!”

“Lower your voice when speaking to me, young lady,” Mother demands as she rises from her chair to face me down. “Apparently, you’ve forgotten just whom you’re speaking to, but you should remember very quickly or…”

“Or what?” I sneer, unable to help myself.

“Or I’ll leave here with this very fair prenuptial agreement without giving you the benefit of making the choice for yourself. You’ll simply be carted off to jail without a second thought. Even the offer for a fully-paid stint in rehab will be off the table. I’m sure there’s some woman in here who will be happy to trade you for extra commissary and cigarettes. God knows at the moment, you aren’t worth even that much, but there’s no accounting for some people’s desperation, is there?”

I’m so completely sick of her insults! “I want to speak to Daddy right now!”

“No.”

“No?” I ask, incredulously. “What the hell do you mean ‘no’?”

“Just what I said, Lindsay with a big N and a little o. There’s nothing you have to say to your father that your inconsiderate actions haven’t already done. I mean, he just had to shell out two hundred-and-fifty thousand dollars because of your inability to mind your own business. So no, you won’t be speaking to your father to reverse my decisions on this. Not only that, but I have control of the checkbook going forward until he can prove to me that he can think for himself where you’re concerned. And guess what, Darling girl… I’m NOT giving you one fucking dime.”

At first, I gasped at her crude language. After all, Mother has always presented herself as a lady, and above such nastiness in public. However, as I look over at the other occupant of the room, it’s clear that he’s unsurprised by Mother at all. I narrow my eyes, studying Duane Chanders so I can file that little tidbit of information away for later. Surely, there is some way I can use his knowledge of this blackmail against him, which should undoubtedly help me to regain Gus’ custody. 

I absolutely refuse to have that fucking blond upstart raising MY son! 

But then the rest of what she said registered with me. I can’t help but wonder aloud in abject shock as the amount of money Daddy just shelled out continues to resonate around my mind. “Wait a minute! How the hell did Justin find out that I knew about the contract between him and Vanguard? I only told Michael…”

“And a Diner full of patrons, that you were eavesdropping on a private conversation between me and your father. Congratulations, Lindsay. You just keep being the disappointment I always thought you had the potential to be if I didn’t keep a close eye on you. Well, now you will be Cartwright’s problem so to speak, although I’m not so sure. He’s very serious about the terms within the contract, and is completely unwilling to negotiate.”

“Perhaps, he’ll be moreso when I…”

“What, Lindsay? Try to blackmail him, too? I think you’ll find that John Cartwright is as immune as Brian Taylor-Kinney is when it comes to threats surrounding his personal life, regardless of his standing within Elite society. He could give superfluous pubic hair to what insignificant people such as you think of him. Instead, he just cuts them off, which hurts them much more than it does him; he doesn’t abide human headaches. But on the brightside, he’s willing to marry you and mentor you to become the self-sufficient woman you should have grown to be since a long time ago, so that puts you a small step above social-suicide for the moment. 

“Now, back to the contract; all of your medical expenses will be paid, including getting you completely drug free, which is also a condition to marrying him. He absolutely abhors recreational drug abusers, considering them the most thoughtless people in the world. And honestly, haven’t you already proven his feeling right considering the reason you’re in here?”

“Then why is he willing to marry me?”

“As a favor to me. And yes, a little bit of altruism on his part as well. Per his words, he thinks that with correcting, you might actually feel better about yourself and therefore begin to think before you act so rashly and irresponsibly. Personally, I think he’s wasting his time on you, but he really desires to make you his pet… project.”

God, I HATE HER! “I’m not a fucking charity case, Mother!”

“You’re not?” she asked, with wide eyes. “How much money do you have put away? What are your savings like? How self-sufficient would you be if you walked out of here right now? Before you answer all those questions, bear in mind that your account- you know, the one with the WRONG last name on it- has been seized. Did I fail to mention that if you don’t accept John and his conditions, you will be brought up on charges of Grand Larceny, since the money in that account was in no way, shape, or form your own, but belonging to Brian and Melanie for Gus?”

“What the….” Oh my God, how did they find out about that account?! That means they also know about… NO!

“...And that’s all in addition to the strikes already against you regarding your tantrum in Gus and Melanie’s directions. Also, let’s not forget that your activities of the last several months also leave you open to a civil suit from Justin Taylor-KINNEY, who I believe is just biding his time while waiting for you to mess with him again. You’d do well to take this offer, Lindsay, so that you can move on with your life without Brian, Melanie, and Gus. Because speaking from experience, Justin acts decisively and quickly without any shame or remorse for making you pay for your own stupidity. It’s a lesson that not only has your father learned within the last three hours or so, but your cohorts-in-Cuntiness, Gardner and Martin have had to pay up, too.”

“You mean that little brat is even richer than…”

“Is that all you heard, Lindsay?” Mother tsked at me. “As usual, your ears turned off to everything else laid before you except to concentrate on money that doesn’t belong to you. That really needs to be corrected; I’ll have to remind John about your finance-driven ADHD. The fact that he’s even willing to give you an allowance until you find a job is big. After all, you have to learn to manage the weight and pressure of adulthood, at least until you’re able to take on ALL the expenses to live as such. It IS what you intended for Justin, right Lindsay? And yet he has so much more than you do, and is doing quite well being an actual adult. Go figure! But honestly, three-hundred and ten dollars a month is still more than you have.”

How the hell did she even know I said that same thing to... Oh fuck! Has Brian been talking to my mother?!

“But after I find the damn job, I will still have to pay him for room and board as if I’m renting a fucking apartment from him! What kind of husband makes his wife do that?!”

“Usually, men with working wives don’t need to have that kind of monetary stipulation written in black and white during their union. It’s automatically understood that the responsibility of household matters must be contributed to, regardless of whether it’s in equal measure or not. Even housewives work to make sure the home runs smoothly. But you… well, you have proven yourself completely inept when it comes to seeing to household matters. You can’t cook…”

“Yes, I can!” I argue, only to be cut off again.

“...anything EDIBLE that people would want to actually eat. I suspect the reason Melanie kept jars of peanut butter, jelly, and a loaf of bread inside the desk in her home office had nothing to do with a need for comfort food or childhood nostalgia.”

“I just believe in having a certain standard of cuisine.” 

“That’s clearly confused with either rabbit food or spoiled slop to be thrown out with the trash. But let’s move on to your housekeeping skills which are basically nonexistent, as evident in that luxury apartment you rented under the WRONG last name. Yes, Lindsay, I know all about that and why you needed it. So we won’t give you the satisfaction of your attempt to live out your fantasy centered on your obsession with Brian TAYLOR-Kinney.”

I really wish you would stop joining their names!” I say, exasperated. “They’re NOT…”

“Again, you focus on the WRONG thing, but they most certainly are MARRIED. Get that through your drug-addled brain once and for all, Lindsay! But really, it shouldn’t matter to you all that much since you’re finally about to marry a man comparable to the one you’ll never have. You actually should feel proud that you’ve even attracted his interest. No matter that it was for the wrong reason, it’s still a win in your book, right?”

“And if I don’t marry John Cartwright?”

“You go to jail, and when you come out you will be jobless, homeless, penniless, hopeless, family-less. Am I making myself clear, Lindsay? Are you getting the complete picture in the desolation of Lindsay’s World yet, dear?”

“Fuck you, Mother.”

“You couldn’t afford me, Lindsay,” she says as she hands me the pen.

I sign where all the post-its are, not even bothering to read the rest of the documents. This is just all kinds of shit anyway! But I just have to get my last dig in while I’m signing my life away in an effort to get free of her and this prison. “But apparently, Daddy can afford you and Elise Eisenhower.”

Instead of the expected response, she laughs. “Who do you think set Ronald up with Elise? After all, I had a fondness for Gregory, so we traded lovers for a time. A word of advice, Lindsay… be thorough in your research when trying to blackmail someone. True, your threats and tricks worked on your father, but I’m not him. I know exactly where and what he sticks his dick into, unlike those who have run a metaphorical train on you over the years. But that level of secrecy can change in a heartbeat for you. I trust we understand each other going forward, don’t we dear?”

And with that she leaves, followed closely by Duane Chanders. But unfortunately for me, he has a few last things to say to me. “You’ll be transferred to the rehab center as soon as the prenup is filed with the court. And before you think you are being given a free pass to harass at will, know that the restraining orders against you are accompanying the prenup, as well as being given to your caseworker at the center. We’ll know every single phone call, letter, email, fucking flying falcon, and smoke signal you might send out in order to flout the law. And Lindsay, I’d be real careful of my past and future associations if I were you.”

I just want to scream at him, but instead I give him a blank look as if I’d turned my ears off to his threat. One thing is very, VERY clear. I need to contact Michael, Deb, and Simon. Even indirectly, I will be making Justin’s life a living hell… and the best part is he doesn’t even know it yet. 

DUANE:

“Do you think she will listen?” I ask Nancy, who is heading towards the lobby on her way to the exit.

“Not at all, but Lindsay can’t say she wasn’t warned. I think she’ll be shocked at just how thoroughly Julian wrote out the stipulations in that contract. John will most certainly go to his mental happy place each and every time he gets to call her on breaking the terms.”

“So when’s the ceremony?”

“Ah, you want a front row seat, do you?”

“Indeed. I need proof- or receipts as my sister would say- to know that this is actually going to happen.”

“I’m hoping to have it done before she transfers out of here this afternoon. Do you think you can delay the inevitable, until I can find someone to perform the ceremony?” Nancy asks me.

I smile, catching her vibe. “Technically Barrows can’t do it, but…”

“His ex-wife can. And I can’t think of anyone better to perform this impromptu wedding than John’s godmother. I’d be more than happy to call Judge Patricia Newsome on my way to drop these papers back to Julian so he can file them.”

“That would only leave the other part to make it official,” I suggest to Nancy, knowing she knows exactly what I’m speaking of.

“Well, think on where it can happen quickly, and let me know when I arrive back here this afternoon. I’ll call you right after I confirm that Patricia’s available.”

And with that last statement, Nancy breezed out of the building. Damn! That woman really is unbelievable, and just earned her place as someone else NOT to piss off. The top spots still belong to my mother, Jennifer, Suzette Alwin, Tatum Taylor, and most recently, my sister is joining those ranks quite fast. I won’t even talk about Mel, Cynthia, and Leda’s roles in all of this. 

But now with the very public addition of ally Nancy Peterson… Well, I just don’t think the world is ready for the Taylor-Kinney League of Extraordinary Women. Some people are going to get their asses KICKED, and not one woman- beyond my baby sister and maybe Leda- will break a single fingernail or chip their perfect nail polish doing it. I laugh aloud on the way back to my borrowed office within this building, while thinking of the chorus to that very famous Kenny Rogers song from The Gambler. It’s really going to suck being Lindsay and her cohorts-in-Cunty.

Couldn’t happen to a better bunch of assholes!


	10. CHAPTER TEN: DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE… EVEN IF SOMETIMES THEY’RE REALLY YOUR NIGHTMARES

CHAPTER TEN: DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE… EVEN IF SOMETIMES THEY’RE REALLY YOUR NIGHTMARES

LINDSAY

I’m so pissed off I could scream! I could chew nails and spit them in the crack of that usurping little blond’s ample ass! I could… Well, I could do something else, but I can’t think it right now; I’m so fucking pissed off! God, I need MY FIX!

I take a deep breath, trying to get my heartrate back under control. This isn’t how a well-bred young woman is supposed to act. But surely there are reasons, the first being that Justin stole Brian out from under me. At first when they started fucking around, I thought it was just that… fucking! But every single time I turned around, there they were, hanging all over each other even if Brian refused to acknowledge aloud that he felt more than lust for Justin. 

The worst thing was when my little sly innuendos about Brian being tamed no longer seemed to work. I don’t know if it’s because Melanie warned him about what I was doing, or if his general disregard was because he was too caught up in falling for Justin. It rankles beyond belief that I- who have been here for him in every aspect of his life for at least the last ten years- am being shut out of Brian’s life in favor of a younger, newer, MALE clone of me. I just know that if Justin had stayed his ass where he belonged, be it in Craig’s house or in California, Brian certainly would have come around to my way of thinking. 

But that is not what happened!

And now it’s too late! I look with disdain at the freshly-pressed orange jumpsuit the warden told me to change into. He said that whereas I would be allowed my own clothes when I reach the rehab I’m being forced into, he still had to maintain protocol for the sake of the other prisoners housed here. I call BULLSHIT. This is just one more unpalatable indignity I have to endure before I can finally have access to a phone to set some things in motion. If Justin thinks he’s going to ride off into the sunset of the West Coast without my hand reaching out to knock him off of his high horse, he’s got another think coming! 

His and Brian’s disobedience will have far-reaching consequences; I’m going to make sure of it. 

JUDGE PATRICIA NEWSOME

When Duane contacted me this afternoon to perform an impromptu wedding ceremony, I had my reservations. I’m not one of those pious judges who hold with the enforced practice of shotgun weddings. I’m wholeheartedly pro-Women's Rights, and don’t make any bones about it. As a woman in a male-dominated profession, I find any way I can fight the bureaucracy and solidarity of the ‘Boys Club’ is an effort worth exerting myself for. However, when Duane explained the circumstances surrounding this particular marriage, I couldn’t help but smile and agree to do this. 

Lindsay Peterson is a detriment to peace of minds everywhere, and not in a good way. For any number of years, I have watched as she wreaked havoc on any family she chose to target, only to swan away unscathed by rubble left in her wake. And now, one of her victims is offering to take this harridan on for the sake of Jenn Taylor’s son and his husband. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t sanction such a blatant act of revenge. But for John to have his chance to grow Lindsay up at last, while making her as miserable as she makes everyone else with her constant entitlement issues and spoiled child games, just this once I can readjust my moral compass and put my halo back on once my part in this is complete.

The bottom line is this woman must be stopped, before someone takes it upon themselves to make her do so… Permanently. So far, she has remained on the right side of the law, and couldn’t technically be held responsible for the death of the Cartwrights, even though her suggestion caused Lois to take both hers and Henry’s lives in an act of desperation. Hearing John describe it, once I’d called him after getting off the phone with Duane, nearly broke my heart. I don’t know if I could be as strong as he is by staying on the right side of the law while correcting such a grievous wrong set in motion because of this woman.

But John Cartwright, above all else, is a man of integrity. Where many others might give into the temptation to physically abuse Lindsay in retaliation, he’s determined to show her the error of her ways by giving her huge doses of her own medicine. To risk sounding cliche, if you don’t want to do the time, don’t do the crime. And whereas no actual crime has been committed by Lindsay’s hands, with the exception of what she did to Brian Kinney, Melanie Marcus, and little Gus, she still needs to be held accountable for every single thing she’s done which there should have been laws to protect the unsuspecting people who have crossed her path down through the years. I honestly can’t wait to see how all of this plays out.

JOHN

“Is all in readiness? I want to have this done and over with as soon as possible,” I say, as I enter the small conference room within the Women’s Correctional Facility. 

“Yeah, it is,” Duane confirms before asking, “But John, seriously, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes. Why would you think I would be having second thoughts now?”

“You and Julian, for one…”

“Are going to be just fine, Man. We’ve already decided to date…”

“How, when he’s going to be mainly living in California while you’re here playing disciplinarian to someone else’s full-grown wayward child?”

I snicker at his description of Lindsay, which is entirely accurate in so many ways. “First, he and I have agreed to have date nights on the computer; just us, behind a locked door to do whatever it is that he and I decide, be it conversation, a movie or… well, just OR. Then when he’s in town, we’re going to carve out some time for each other. In a lot of ways, this is probably for the best anyway.”

“What? How do you figure that?”

“Because I have to wait to jump his bones.” I laugh. “Trust me, that’s been difficult to resist since I met him. But this way, we can really get to know each other without the urgency of getting laid. I’ve never… well, I’ve never wanted to do that with someone before. It’s all new territory, which makes me think this can really be something- if cultivated correctly, from the start- lasting.”

“You really want him to be your last first date, don’t you?” Duane looks at me in wonderment.

“Yeah, I do. I find that I don’t want to control him like I do everything else in my life. That has to mean something, right?”

We’re interrupted by the arrival of several others, including the newly minted Taylor-Kinneys. I raise an eyebrow in question, but both Brian and Justin just laugh lightly. “Forgive the intrusion, but when Daphne told us this was happening, we had to come see it for ourselves,” Justin said.

“Besides, seeing us here together will only cement this for you,” Brian adds.

“How do you figure that?”

“Because when the judge asks if anyone objects, she’ll expect me to. And when I say nothing, only smirk in response, Lindsay will feel she needs to save face. It’s how she operates, John. With her humiliation on the line, she’ll school her features to serene placidity, even though the anger that I will do nothing to stop her will be evident in her eyes. It’s best that you learn that particular look now, since you’ll no doubt see it often when she doesn’t get her way.”

“That’s true,” Justin advises. “Unlike Michael, she won’t pout or whine, but she will plot and plan in retaliation. It’s best you know what it looks like so you can call her on it if you want to. Otherwise, she’ll think she’s fooled you into believing she’s the Madonna. But a word of advice…”

“Which is?”

“Pick your time to call her on that look wisely. Lindsay can backpedal better than Lance Armstrong physically can, and much faster too. Don’t underestimate her antics. I think that’s where a lot of people make their mistakes with her, and as a result she feels she has to keep proving that she can be even worse than the last offense. A tantruming entitled child trapped in an adult body with an insatiable thirst for power is what you’re dealing with.”

And you know what? I have to take their advice- but especially Justin’s- under advisement. After all, he has experience dealing with this type of person, considering Craig Taylor. Julian couldn’t wait to call and tell me how Justin just force-fed Craig his own ass to swallow. That young man is ready for whatever life may bring him, including being a boss with a staff of his own. 

People would do really well NOT to underestimate him.

“Duly noted,” I confirm to them as they move off to take a couple of seats within the room. 

Just looking at them right now, it’s not hard to understand Lindsay’s jealousy of Justin. In a few short months, he managed to do what she and her partner-in-petulance, Novotny, couldn’t even if they melded to become one complete person. Add to that, a sense of self that even I envy to a degree, and it makes me question what the hell I was thinking at nineteen years old. I mean sure, I had business and education concerns to think of, but I was a lot less focused than Justin Taylor-Kinney is. It really is amazing to see him be so driven and goal-oriented at his young age.

Perhaps that’s what Brian really does for him, despite the obvious. Maybe he feeds Justin’s need to be creative and overachieve, more than anything else. Sometimes it seems like he’s working to dispel every myth and misconception people have regarding blonds, much in the way inner-city kids tend to work to get out of the projects they were born into. But watching them laugh right now with their heads together like secret-telling little kids, it’s so clear that whatever binds them together- and makes them seemingly indestructible- definitely isn’t monetary or tangible. They also allow each other to play; to relax in the knowledge that they are both emotionally safe with the other.

It’s what I hope for Julian and I to have one day.

“Ready to begin?” Judge Newsome asks me, as she comes to rest beside me.

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“Well, for what it’s worth if no one else has told you, I appreciate your sacrifice in dealing with Lindsay. I’ve wanted to see her brought down a peg or eight-hundred, for years. But unfortunately, I’m not one of her parents, or even her sister, and with my position it would have just looked as if I was picking on her.”

“I understand. Hopefully by the end of this, she will remember the verse which says, ‘Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you’. If not, I will leave this faux-relationship with a clear conscience, and let her take her chances with all those she’s already offended. I can’t imagine they will be nice about taking her down.”

“Ultimately, that’s what I’ve been afraid of,” she tells me. “Lindsay’s personality as a whole makes the perfect motive for murder. And let me tell you, any judge who knows her, would be hard-pressed to convict the perpetrator.”

I chuckle at Judge Newsome’s pronouncement, even as the doors open at the back of the room. Lindsay is being led into the room by her mother, and another officer. She must have pitched a bitch at the shackles which normally would accompany a prisoner being moved from pillar to post within the facility, which would explain their notable absence. But no matter. After all, she’s still wearing the handcuffs. 

Duane’s sister, in all her deviousness, manages to snap two pictures with her cellphone as Lindsay progresses down the aisle. I can see the mirth in Nancy’s eyes, even as I see the flash of anger in Lindsay’s that Brian and Justin warned me about. No doubt, if she could, she would have gone after Daphne just then. Something tells me from the bold look Daphne Chanders aimed back in Lindsay’s direction that the young woman would have welcomed the opportunity to put Lindsay on her ass. Duane always said that Daphne may be small in stature, but that only makes her more vicious in a confrontation; I believe him.

Judge Newsome goes through the all the rigmarole of a traditional wedding ceremony as Lindsay and I stand there. Whereas I’m looking at her, out of the corner of my eye I see the moment Lindsay realizes that Brian and Justin are in attendance. Perhaps it was the fact that Jennifer Taylor is dressed in the white Lindsay probably thought she should be for this occasion. But seriously, we’re not trying to lie to anyone, are we? In all honesty, Lindsay should be dressed in black sackcloth if that’s the case, since a virgin she most certainly is NOT.

“Is there anyone here, who can show just cause to prohibit this marriage?” Judge Newsome asks, and as predicted, Lindsay looks over to where Brian and Justin are sitting, hugged up and smirking in her direction. “Speak now, or forever hold your peace,” she adds.

When no expected interruption was forthcoming, I looked back to Lindsay in time to catch the look again that Brian and Justin spoke about. The slight flair of her nostrils reminds me of a barely-contained dragon. However, unless you were looking for the tell-tale signs of her anger, one would never notice that behind that serene countenance is a woman already hellbent on revenge. Once the ‘I dos’ are said, and I place a chaste kiss on her lips, I look over to Julian. Surprisingly, he has a wink and a smile for me; much more than the cold-hearted bitch I’ve just married.

Amid the small crowd of faux-congratulations to her, she continues to grimace. That’s fine. I’m no more happy than she is. However, what Julian whispers in my ear as I move past him makes me laugh, much to her increased disgruntlement. He told me to hurry up and do her, so that we can go for a drink.

My plan in a nutshell.

By the time we reach the room designated as the space to consummate this travesty, she has finally deigned to speak to me. “I hope you don’t think this gives you the upperhand.”

“I don’t have to think anything, Lindsay; I know I have it. Be advised that we haven’t fucked yet, so there is still time for an annulment. Judge Newsome is still in the building.”

“And just how many times over the period of time we’re married do you intend to throw the terms of this arrangement up in my face?”

“Per the prenup you signed, anytime I feel like it. I do hope you read it all the way through.”

“Only as much as I could stomach,” she sneers, while I chuckle.

“Well, that won’t help your case since you can’t say you weren’t advised of the rules. You were expected to be an adult and read the contract ALL the way through. It’s apparent that you have yet to learn that your actions have consequences, but you’ll learn. Oh yeah, dear, you’ll learn.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“First of all, LANGUAGE, Lindsay. The right to use profanity towards me at any time comes with a price your current bank balance cannot afford.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means that your current balance is three-hundred and ten dollars.”

The look on her face is priceless, as she digests what I’ve just said to her. “Bu- But that’s impossible! There’s over twenty thousand dollars in my account!” 

“Not anymore there isn’t. The person who had your power of attorney until I assumed it with the signing of that marriage certificate signed to put the funds you siphoned from Gus’ support account and his trust fund, back where it belonged. Such a shame, Lindsay. I mean, to steal from adults is one thing, but from a child... YOUR OWN CHILD and from an account you in no way contributed to? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Well, no need to mention that again, since that debt has been satisfied, right?”

“But that would mean… OH THAT BITCH!”

I mock-sigh in response. “Again with the crudeness, Lindsay, let’s be real here. The ONLY bitch in your life is YOU. Lynette is not a bitch; she is a lady of class and elegance, who chose to do right by her nephew and his RIGHTFUL parents.”

“But I’m his mother!”

“No, you are not. You were merely the vessel, one which brought Gus into the world. You are also the person who abused him, and the trust that Melanie and Brian put in you. You are many other things, including a thief and a drug addict, but you are most certainly NOT a mother… Well unless it’s followed by one very specific six-letter word.”

She gasped, and I cut her off, uninterested in hearing anything else she had to say. “Now, we have a limited time to get this done. I’m going to tell you now that it will not be romantic in any manner, as this is merely to seal a business arrangement…”

She mutters, “Jesus. At least Brian had the good grace to kiss me and…”

I’m not even going to let her get away with making the one time Kinney had a lapse in judgement into something it was not. “I’m sure that Brian was envisioning someone far different from you; same as I will be. In fact, that person will have an appendage you are most certainly missing, not counting your personal ‘Glinda the Good Witch’ that I’m sure you and many other women may have hidden away at their disposal. Let’s NOT forget that he was also DRUNK, so no. You don’t get to rewrite history to suit your own delusional narrative ever again. That said, again, this is not going to be romantic, but I do intend to cum. You should do whatever it is that makes you enjoy the experience, or not. Honestly, it doesn’t make any difference to me. And as your husband, I’ve already checked with your gynecologist- a Dr. Sampson- to make sure your shot is up to date. So there will not be any occurrences of false unintentional-intentional pregnancies during this arrangement, or if there is, the child will clearly NOT be mine, so I won’t be taking care of either of you. You’ll receive an allowance, and until you find a job your other basic expenses will be paid.”

“Why the fuck did I marry you? Why did I sign that damn contract?”

I laugh at her continued pouting. “Plain and simple, dear. You wanted out of prison, free and clear. Well, I’m happy to inform you that you basically just traded the iron bars for a gilded cage of my making. But aw… cheer up, Sweetheart. You just got everything you’ve ever wanted, just not the way you wanted it, which was to marry a well-off GAY man. I don’t think I need to remind you that the one you wanted wasn’t interested in you, and is now TAKEN. So there’s no need to complain about the choices you’ve made while being forced to move on, now is there?”

“I hate you!”

“Good. Because I’ve already seen the damage you do to the people you supposedly loved, and it’s tragic. Be then it just goes to show what a toxic bitch you are. Now drop the jumpsuit and get on your knees, facing away from me. I don’t need to see your face to know I’m fucking you.”

And so the deed is consummated, and Lindsay is well and truly my human cross to bear for a little while. She had a good time, in spite of herself. Which will have to last her for a very long time, because the last place I will EVER be again, is inside of Lindsay. After the deed was done, the warden assured me that Lindsay would be given the outfit Nancy picked out for her to wear to the rehab, and the new and improved cell phone equipped with everything I need to make Lindsay’s life a living hell. And as I stand here beneath the spray of the hot, cleansing shower, I smile.

Phase one is complete, and all is in readiness to begin phase II. Welcome Lindsay Peterson to the warped season of “THIS IS YOUR LIFE”. Have fun reaping what you’ve sown, Bitch!


	11. CHAPTER ELEVEN: A SMALL PIECE OF PAPER THAT CARRIES A LOT OF WEIGHT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is HEAVY in FLASHBACKS. You'll know them when you see them... HAPPY READING!

CHAPTER ELEVEN: A SMALL PIECE OF PAPER THAT CARRIES A LOT OF WEIGHT

Five weeks later…

MICHAEL

Why didn’t someone talk me out of this? Why didn’t they warn me?! Oh right, Ma did try but… Well, I just wanted to be out from under her by any means necessary, which she told me that I would regret big time. Truer words were never spoken, but she shouldn’t have made it so difficult for me to live with her! 

Then again, she always did. 

And now… Now I’m stuck with a decision that at first seemed like a really good idea, but has turned out to be one of my worst ones yet! I never expected that she would turn into this… this... TYRANT, having me on a shorter leash than my Ma ever did. And all because of the fifty thousand dollars I was promised in the very near future. When I tried to negotiate the price of my services, she laughed- actually LAUGHED- saying that really she was doing me the favor, since I would only keep hanging onto my mother’s apron strings if she hadn’t offered me a way out. 

And as I stare at myself in the mirror, the only thing that keeps repeating in my mind is: THIS IS ALL BRIAN’S FAULT! Had he not married that insignificant little fuck, I wouldn’t have been forced into this unholy union with someone I once considered a friend, but that I now see as my jailor. And what’s worse is… I can’t even think of it or I’ll hurl! Why did I agree to this in the first place?!

Looking back to my brief return to Portland, I can see just how things began to snowball. Why the hell didn’t David and Hank stay put so that I could have gone to live with them again? Why is it always me who ends up suffering because of other people’s selfish choices? Why are they ALWAYS so inconsiderate of what I NEED? I feel like Superman must have felt that time when Lex Luthor’s evil friends trapped him in a power-zapping chamber.

None of mine have been working of late, and that just fucking sucks!

When I arrived at the airport after ten miles of doing the walk of shame from David’s former house, I thought I would never be so happy to get on a plane and out of that fucking place in my life. But instead of buying my ticket right away, I collapsed into the first plush seat I saw. Somehow or another, I must have fallen asleep because I remember being slapped awake by one of the angriest women I’d ever seen in my life.

“What??? Ma….”

“Don’t you dare call me your mother, you fucking incompetent prick!” the shrill voice yelled at me, drawing the attention of just about everyone in the lobby that late at night. “If anyone should have had an abortion it was YOUR mother! You had one job; ONLY ONE, and that was to keep my fucking ex-husband occupied enough that he would forget all about the agreement I signed to hand over my son to him upon his thirteenth birthday.”

Upon recognizing just who was screaming at me, I fired back without thinking. “Don’t you mean your meal ticket, Lori? Let’s be honest here… Hank was nothing more than your way into David’s pockets!”

“I had much more of a right to be there than you did!” she yelled again, before slapping me again. “I swear, you would think you would be good for something else other than whining a person to the point where they want to shut you up permanently! If you had just done your fucking job, I would STILL HAVE MY SON!”

“What the hell are you talking about? My job? I didn’t hold a job in Portland!”

“No, you didn’t, did you? You might have had more value if you actually did! No, your job was to use your useless ass to keep David from pulling the alimony from me. After all, look at all I’ve done for you!”

“What? You’ve never done anything for me!”

“Yes, I did! I kept David from going back to his ex! If I hadn’t, your ass would have been out far faster than when he finally sent your childish ass back across the country. And let me guess… things weren’t the way you thought they should be when you arrived back in Pittsburgh. That man you spent your entire time here pining for is HAPPILY screwing someone else, right? Yes, I know all about it. So you thought to come slithering your ass back here, hoping for another chance to swindle David into funding your life, huh? Well FORGET IT! If anyone is going to have David paying their way through life indefinitely, it’s ME! NOT YOU!”

“And that just burns you up, doesn’t it?” I refused to acknowledge that her comment about why I was back in Portland was correct. “That he isn’t supporting you anymore is what really pisses you off, right? You don’t care one damn bit about Hank. No, it’s all about you, isn’t that right?”

“And you would know all about that, wouldn’t you, Michael?! Unlike you, I have skills- marketable skills and an education- that have nothing to do with me constantly acting clueless in order to get attention. Which, if you asked me, I’d tell you your act needs work! But no matter, because see, whereas I can always get someone well-off to ultimately take care of me again, you don’t stand a chance. NO REAL MAN would want such a whiny little punk like you. Go back to the Pitts, and reclaim your job at the Big Q, Michael. It’s clearly the only thing you’re qualified to do other than live inside that empty landfill you call a mind.”

Just as I was getting ready to respond to her, the security guard came over to us. “Is there a problem over here, Miss Davidson?”

“Not anymore, Charlie. My flight should be called at any moment. I’m done with this trash.”

She turned her back on me, and walked with Charlie to the first class lounge. I watched with narrowed eyes as they laughed constantly, until they finally disappeared behind the red door to the right of the customer service desk. I was tempted to follow her just to explain my side of things. I needed Lori back on my side if I was going to find out where David had gone. But I couldn’t do that and still be able to get the next possible flight out of Portland.

So I went over to the counter, and after about fifteen minutes, I took another seat. The flight didn’t leave until four the next morning, and it was just barely eleven p.m. My mind raced with plans on how to get Brian back on my side where he belonged. I still couldn’t believe that he told me to get used to having my mother’s attention all to myself again. He knew just how much I hated that!

By the time I landed back in this hell of a city, I was no closer to coming up with the answer to my problems than when I’d left in the first place. It didn’t help that with all the close-end traveling, my account was sixteen-hundred dollars lighter; yet another thing Brian owes me for! But just then, I couldn’t afford to think about it all. I had to figure out a way to put a permanent stop to whatever plans Brian and Boy Wonder had before they took off. I also needed to find a way to keep Ma off my back about finding a job until I could successfully make a plan to keep Brian’s ass in Pittsburgh.

Looking for a job was going to cut into time I didn’t seem to have.

When I got back to Ma’s house, I thought she’d gone to work because I actually had to use my key to get into the front door. But no such luck! She was sitting there amid all my boxes that had arrived from Portland, angrily flipping the channels between QVC and The Home Shopping Network. It was then I knew just how pissed off she was.

“So you’ve returned, huh?”

“Obviously,” I answered her in the same way she’d asked me the question, before I sighed. “Look, Ma. I’ve had the night from hell, after having spent it in the airport. I’m really not in the mood to deal with anything else other than having a good few hours sleep. We can…”

“Talk about this shit, right fucking now? That is what you were going to suggest, right Michael? Because if it was that we’ll talk about all your lies later, you’re sadly mistaken. Now what the fuck happened in Portland? And why was there a certified letter addressed to me, but was really about you?”

“What? What certified letter was about me? I didn’t do anything!”

“No… you never do anything, do you?” Ma pressed the button on the remote shutting the television off then, before coming to stand in front of me… well, as best she could since there were stacks of my boxes between us, for which I was somehow thankful for at the moment. “I want to know why you applied for and received a credit card in both our names, yet you haven’t paid one fucking dime on the goddamn bill!”

Oh shit! I thought, since I’d never meant for her to find out about the card. I’d done it on a whim, but knew that based on my credit, I couldn’t qualify. I knew that if I asked her, she would ask a million questions that I didn’t want to answer at that moment. I mean, I knew she would eventually say yes, but I couldn’t think of what she’d consider a valid reason for me to have the card. So when I applied using her credit, I was shocked that they’d approved me right away. 

I asked for the card to be overnighted to me, since time was of the essence. I needed to register for the Comic Con that was coming to Pittsburgh no later than five p.m. the next day. I didn’t want to miss out, since a couple of my favorite modern writers and illustrators were going to be there before going on to do their European tour. I didn’t exactly know how to tell her that, so I tried to dodge the question with a whined, “Ma…”

“Don’t, Michael. Just don’t! You know, I have taken a lot of shit from you over the years; made others take the same shit, too. But I have NEVER in a million years thought that you would run up nearly five-thousand dollars using credit that I worked damn hard to get into good standing without a thought or care for me.” She sighed heavily, before narrowing her eyes at me again. And I knew what she was going to ask me, even before she uttered the words, “So what was so important that you would betray my trust for?”

“I didn’t…”

“YES, YOU DID! I told my social security number to you for the purpose of a medical emergency, Michael! Not so that you can apply for a fucking credit card in my name without my knowledge, or permission! Now. WHAT. THE. FUCK. DID. YOU. USE. THE. CARD. ON?!” I started to answer her with an excuse I thought she’d easily buy like she had in the past, but she stopped the thought dead in its tracks. “And the TRUTH!” 

Shamefully, I spilled my guts to her then, watching warily as she got angrier and angrier at me as I told her the story, and who was at Comic Con that I just had to see, and what I needed to have for my collection, and… The slaps that followed weren’t like anything from her I’d ever felt before. Even now as I remember them, I still hear a distinct, and distant ringing in my ears; I didn’t even see her move so I could duck! She allowed me the rest of the afternoon to rest, but the following morning she made sure I unpacked my old uniform pants and dress shirt that I’d often worn in my former job as Department Manager at the Big Q. Then she had the nerve to not only drive me there, but followed me inside to make sure I put the application in. 

Since they were holding a job fair, I was interviewed within twenty minutes of finishing the fucking application. Unfortunately for me- but fucking KUDOS to her- I got hired to begin working immediately. The only positive thing was that they were still willing to pay me the same hourly rate as I’d left with, even though I was basically starting from the bottom again. Apparently, they couldn’t wait to give Andrew my position within the first month after I’d left for Portland. And he’s made my fucking life a living hell from the moment he found out I was back.

But the worse thing has been that Ma had ordered me to pay off the fucking credit card, even after handing it to her. So for the last few weeks, she left me with all but twenty-three dollars, which was just enough to get back and forth to the damn store. Then she found out about my account, despite all my efforts to hide it from her, but when the mail comes to her house and it’s in a locked mailbox… She took the rest of what was left in it, which had actually paid off the card and the last few months that she was supporting me with the apartment I used to share with Emmett. She said that now that she’d lost her job because of me, consider it the beginning of her severance pay for wiping my ass.

Things had gotten so bad between me and Ma by then that I just wanted to either jump off one of the Three Sisters Bridges, or push her down a flight of stairs for her own brother to find her. I had to do something before I did something to put me back in jail on a more permanent basis. So when Tracy had approached me with this idea of hers, it was a no-brainer to me. I mean, I knew she still had a crush on me, despite knowing I’m gay, but she was also someone I considered a friend.

Until now, that is.

No. Now she’s my wife. I never thought it would be like this! After finding out that her uncle had left her his entire estate, Tracy found out that the only stipulation to claiming it fully was that she needed to be married. At first when she’d asked me, I thought she was crazy. But then she told me just how much the estate was worth- as in MILLIONS in money and property- and all I could see was being able to get out from under Ma’s roof to live my own life again. 

But that’s not what’s happening at all!

Prior to the wedding which had only happened a week ago, Tracy had come up with a whole set of rules of conduct in an effort to make this look believable to her family and friends. No complaining or arguing, especially in front of company; no days missed from work unless I was deathly ill; no being late coming home from work unless arranged and discussed beforehand… oh, and did I forget to mention that her uncle was the owner of Big Q? But the real kicker was that after my Last Allowed Night of Debauchery, I couldn’t go anywhere to take care of my sexual needs unless it was to her. I mean what the fuck, right? It didn't help that I didn't have any takers except Ramone, whose dick was about the same size as mine and not very satisfying, but she knows I’m gay and all, yet she… 

She told me that it was expected of her to birth an heir. When I suggested that we do it the same way Brian had with Lindsay, she said no. When I protested, she once again threw in my face that she was paying me at the end of all this unless I wanted an annulment immediately. When I told her that she had made that pretty much impossible with the way she was acting, she said that her major in college was Drama, so her family wouldn’t really think hard of her. But me on the other hand… 

Then she handed me a pill from the bottle of Viagra she got from her aunt who had a friend of hers prescribe them in her husband’s name, and told me that she expected me in the bedroom in ten minutes. Before we began, she chucked me on the chin and told me to look on the brightside. When I asked her what it was, she said that the brightside was that I was out from under my mother’s rule, which was what I’d wanted so badly. Then she said that many men lived in the closet, and that as long as I didn’t act on my tendencies with anyone but her, she wouldn’t divorce me before the time we agreed on only to leave me with only the mere pittance in my account to show for my efforts at freedom. Then she had the audacity to remind me that I’d told her that if Brian was mine, I’d demand the same kind of fidelity from him. 

But even with that, it was her words later on our wedding night still haunt me, even now. “Karma is a bitch, Michael. And it looks like you’re mine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> END OF INSTALLMENT FADED PICTURES 2: BROKEN GLASS  
> HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT!!   
> HUGS,  
> ~Nichelle


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